Reconnaissance
by Twister Fries
Summary: Naruto AU. Perhaps, she still don't know him as much as she expected. Even after years, she was still learning new things about him.
1. The Night After The Fire

**WARNING: This is an AU. Okay? Okay.**

 **Anyway. Yes. This is my first story.**

 **Yeah. Okay. Let's do this.**

* * *

She remembers when she was still young, when she was still a ninja in training, and one of her chores was to clean and replacing the flowers in the Konoha Cemetery. She always volunteered to be the one to perform cemetery maintenance because no one would volunteer to do so. This means that she was usually alone, which is absolutely fine to her. She'd rather be alone doing all the work than causing trouble to others.

Also, this would give her time to visit her uncle who sacrificed himself to her clan. She had always thanked him, giving him a set of flowers that she would pick on the way there. She would always light candles for him and close her eyes, reminiscing the days when he was still alive. Her uncle was a nice man, and she would never forget him.

She would occasionally see people there such as Kakashi-sensei, who she didn't know at that point. Sometimes, Iruka-sensei would come with her and visit the tomb of his parents, introducing her to them and talk how she's a good student, much to her embarrassment and joy. There were times when the Third Hokage would visit the cemetery and greet her, teaching her how to do maintenance properly.

Occasionaly, she would see her cousin Neji, and she would hide behind tombstones to avoid being spotted. She would hold the flowers close to her chest, her hands shaking at the same time, while constantly looking back at her cousin who would just stand in front of his father's tomb. She knew that her cousin had a grudge against the main family, hence why she would hide her presence from him.

Her cousin always visited alone, despite already having a team. He probably didn't want to bring them here yet for some reasons only he would know.

She knew that Neji probably knew that there was someone else besides him during his visits. He has the Byakugan, which he can activate anytime to scan his surroundings. He probably knew that she was there, but just ignored her, much to her relief. Or perhaps he was just respecting the location.

After she graduated from the academy, she would still go to the cemetery occasionally, meeting the new set of students in the process, and helping them with the chore. After the Chuunin exam, Neji has started inviting her to his visits, much to her surprise. Together, they would visit her uncle (and his father), and will sometimes bring her father or his team with them.

Now, she was with her father, and her friends, as well as the village, for the burial of her cousin. Her father was the one, who declared that Neji would be buried next to his father, which Hinata smiled at. She started reminiscing their last visit to this cemetery which was before they went to the war. Neji said that he always went there before his missions because he felt secure.

Hinata looked at the burning coffin in front of them, ignoring the pain of the grazes on her face when her tears touched them. Perhaps she would come here as well and visit her cousin before her missions to feel the same way as her cousin did – to feel safe.

She looked around the cemetery, finding other coffins as well to be either burned or buried. She found Shikamaru and Ino on the other side, mourning for their fathers. Choji stood on their side, trying to be strong for both of his teammates, but couldn't hide his sadness as well. The three of them excused themselves from Neji's funeral earlier, sending their condolence to Hinata, who perfectly understood their situation.

Hinata rubbed her eyes to stop the tears from flowing. She knew that Neji wouldn't want to see her like this after sacrificing his life for her. But the more she rubs it, the harder it was getting to try stopping herself from crying. Neji and Hinata were more of siblings than cousins, and knowing that she lost someone as important as Neji in her life was something she couldn't handle.

She then felt someone touch her shoulder and rubbed it gently. She looked at her right to see that it was Shino who was trying to console her, in his own way. Her left hand was then nudged by Akamaru who was worried of her as well. She then looked at the person who was standing beside Akamaru.

Kiba was just staring at the fire in front of them. Hinata knew that Kiba and Neji spent a few times with each other due to their missions. They were together when they tried to retrieve Sasuke, and they were together again during the war. Kiba knew that Neji almost overworked himself to the point that he couldn't distinguish Kiba from Akamaru. Due to Kiba being Hinata's teammate, he knew the strengths and limits of the Byakugan, no matter how great of a bloodline it is.

Though Kiba found Neji irritating at times (and vice versa), he considered the guy as a great ally and is worthy of his title as a genius. Both Shino and Kiba would visit the Hyuuga compound a lot, to which they would meet Neji and would sometimes have a practice match with him. Their connection with Hinata has made them connect with Neji as well.

Hinata scanned her eyes again to find Naruto just a few rows behind her. She didn't even felt that he was there. Her eyes then went to Naruto's missing right hand and looked at it solemnly. She wondered to herself, what did Naruto feel right now? Does he feel guilty or thankful? Does he think that the war is a victory despite the many losses? Does Naruto feel that he was responsible for everything?

For once, Hinata didn't want to think of Naruto right now. She was worried, yes, but she had something to worry about more. Her mind was full of her memories of her cousin who she feels is more of a priority right now. Naruto is alive and he would be fine.

She knew that he would be fine.

* * *

Half of Neji's ashes were buried down the ground, beside his father. The other half was equally divided between the members of Team Guy and Hinata, as she requested to. They have already prepared the place where Neji's ashes would be placed in their house. Hinata was kind of comforted to have Neji near her. Looking at Tenten, Rock Lee, and Guy-sensei, holding their own small jars as if their life depended on it, made her realize that they were feeling the same as well.

The crowd started to disperse, with some going home, while some were going to the next funeral. It has been days since the war ended but the agony still isn't done. The dark and sad days were still continuing, and everyone was still tired from what happened.

Shino was still beside her, still holding her shoulder. Though Shino doesn't really speak much unless spoken to, his simple actions were really meaningful. Perhaps his silence helps the situation also. However, she felt that something was missing right now.

"Where's Kiba-kun and Akamaru-kun?" Hinata asked, her voice slightly sore from stress and fatigue.

"He went with the ANBU already. He said that he was sorry to leave early and without saying anything," Shino answered.

Hinata finally realized why Kiba had to leave early. He was one of the Inuzuka clan, and they were tasked to search and locate all the corpses and missing people from the war, with the help of ANBU. Hinata and Shino were part of that too, being part of a team that specializes on reconnaissance, but Kiba was requested more since he doesn't have to spend chakra that much compared to the two of them, and he was faster than both of them combined, which makes him more efficient.

Ever since the war has ended, the Inuzuka clan has been working non-stop to retrieve bodies of countless ninjas. Even other villages were starting to rely on them to retrieve their own missing people. The pressure put on the Inuzuka clan had become so heavy that there was no time to rest for them. In order to help them, the Akimichi clan had supplied them soldier pills to help boost their chakra and overall health.

Hinata has actually seen Kiba again today, the last being the war. She was happy that he has actually given time to visit her cousin's funeral, but felt disappointed at the same time. She wished she could have at least talked to him a bit, ask about what was going on and all, and how she could help him. He looked so exhausted.

"I want to help with the search…" Hinata said as her hold on the jar tightened a bit, expressing her desire to help. She started walking, after Shino offered to walk her home.

"I know, but you need to rest, Hinata. You're still mourning," Shino explained.

"Are you going today as well?"

"Tonight."

It was then that Hinata noticed that Shino's hands were full of injuries here and there. She thought that Shino probably helped in digging up the people who were trapped underground. Hinata instantly looked at her clean, smooth hands and felt pathetic all of a sudden. She hadn't ever thought of doing that, and even if she wanted to, her group has earth users, so she wasn't really needed to help out.

She could have at least forced them to let her help. She could have at least fought for her wants instead of following anyone's orders like an obedient dog. Even Akamaru had more guts than her.

"Well, uhm… Good luck, Shino-kun," Hinata said to Shino, giving him a reassuring smile. She saw her reflection in her teammate's sunglasses, seeing how haggard she looked, and understood what Shino meant when he said that she was still 'mourning'.

Shino nodded to Hinata and for the rest of the way, the two of them stayed quiet. It wasn't an awkward silence, but a really comforting one. It was always like this when the two of them are together, with Kiba breaking the silence when he comes. Perhaps their team is a great balance.

Hinata was just thankful that she has good friends, and a good team.

* * *

After thanking Shino for walking with her, she then went inside the compound and placed the jar containing Neji's ashes in a cabinet decorated with flowers. She lit up incense and knelt down on the floor, and paid respect to her cousin. She wonders if Neji was with his father and mother now. Was he happier now compared to when he was alive? What was he doing right now? Is he watching over her?

Hinata pursed her lips and closed her eyes tightly. She didn't want to cry again. She had to be stronger more than ever now that her cousin is gone. There was no one to teach her new skills and train her anymore. There was no one who would protect her anymore. Sure she has her team and her friends, and maybe her family, but she can't rely on them every time.

She had to get strong by her own.

She then stood up from her place and gave a confident smile before closing the cabinet. She then went up to see Hanabi and see how she's doing, only to see no one inside her room.

"She went to help the search in place of you."

Hinata turned around to see her father behind her, looking older than usual. She then closed the door softly and faced him.

"She should have told me…" Hinata said quietly.

"She knew that you wouldn't agree, Hinata. She just wanted to help you."

Kiba, Shino, and now Hanabi are out of the village doing what was requested of them, while she was just here moping around, doing nothing. She bit the inside of her lip, her eyes glued to the ground while she was thinking of how useless she was.

"I'm going," Hinata said as she then went on to her room to change into her normal attire. She grabbed the forehead protector from her desk and tied it around her neck while searching for her favorite jacket.

"You need to rest, Hinata! Your body is going to break down if you do this any further!" her father said, scolding her of her recklessness. Hiashi already lost his nephew who was almost like his son. He doesn't want to lose another one in succession.

"I'm alright. I want to help them, father. I just want to be of use," Hinata said as she finally found her jacket, the matching pants, and her kunai pouch. She then pushed her father out of her room gently so that she could change. She gave her father a smile, which reminded Hiashi of his wife, from which Hinata took most of her appearance from.

He remembered when his wife gave birth to Hinata, and how she smiled and tear up while cradling their first child in her arms. She kept touching Hinata's soft cheeks and knew that she would indeed be a strong shinobi, just like her father. As Hinata was growing up, Hiashi would always think how wrong his wife was and turned his attention to Hanabi who was showing more potential than her sister.

Looking at his eldest daughter now, he realized that his wife was right. He wished that he could have at least trained her a bit more, or at least trained her alongside Hanabi. He should have been a little more patient with Hinata. Because of him, the relationship of his two children began to sour, Hinata becoming more reclusive and her strength not developing much at all. By the time he decided to train her again alongside Neji, he was probably too late to develop her skills.

However, after the war, Hinata has shown great strength and desire to protect what must be protected. Her skills and confidence had vastly improved from her genin days. She did her part well, and she snapped Naruto out when he was feeling down and thus, leading them to victory. There was no denying that Hinata had played a big part during the war.

Hiashi sighed as he held the doorknob. "Alright."

Hinata's eyes had lightened up and held her father's hand before closing off the door. She quickly took off her black outfit and changed into her usual ones.

* * *

As she sat on the doorway and wore her sandals, her father stood behind her.

"Be careful out there."

"I will," Hinata said as she stood up and brushed her pants off of any dust. She hesitated at first but gave into it anyway, hugging her father, which surprised Hiashi. Nonetheless, he hugged her back as he brushed Hinata's hair and said goodbye to her. There are only a few times when his eldest daughter would hug him, so he might as well enjoy it as much as he can. It's only a matter of years before he goes away.

* * *

Hinata closed and opened her eyes as quickly as she can, trying to brush off the strain that she was starting to feel. Her chakra was starting to deplete but she had no time to complain about that. There are still many people who were missing, and it was her mission to find as many as she can. She doesn't want to disappoint the families, friends, and the villages, who rely on them to find their loved ones. Their only wish is to just make sure whether their loved ones are dead or not.

She wanted to give them a proper burial, just like how her cousin did. It's not easy to move on without doing a funeral service.

She looked up at the sky to see a full moon above them as they ran, the Land of Lighting just in front of them. She met Shino a few minutes ago, but they never spoke and just looked at each other, acknowledging their presence. They were too busy to have a chat.

"Wait," Hinata stopped suddenly, looking around the ground. "There are two people down here. One is still alive but he's barely breathing." Her group then quickly proceeded to dig underground, with Hinata helping as much as she can. She suddenly wished that she could be a drill, like how Kiba does with his Fang Over Fang technique. Hinata then dug even harder, realizing that it was indeed for that reason that the Inuzuka Clan was decided to be the main searchers.

Her group then dug out two people from the Land of Water, one boy and one girl, with the former still barely breathing as she stated. Both of them were only a few years younger than Hinata. They immediately tended to the boy, with her helping the first aid, while the other group was trying to identify who the girl was.

Hinata looked at the boy who was starting to breathe normally, and was suddenly reminded of the day when the Sasuke Recovery Team came back, all of them either injured or dying. She heard from Shino that time that Kiba's injuries were pretty deep, though not life threatening. Not to mention, it was not from an enemy, but was something he inflicted to himself twice. He was almost killed as well if it wasn't for Kankuro. Neji, on the other hand, was almost to the brink of death.

As she looked at the boy who she guessed just became a chuunin, Hinata wondered if this would continue until they get older. If she had kids, would she let them be ninjas? Would she risk losing them just for the village? Will she be able to sleep when her kids are on their missions? Suddenly, she started to understand why her father felt reluctant to let her go today.

"Are you okay?" Hinata asked the boy who started grunting. "How do you feel?"

"…Dead," the boy answered back in a pained whisper. Hinata smiled at him and caressed his cheeks softly, making the boy feel like he was in his mother's embrace.

After some time, the group who would take back the recovered people back to their own villages came and took the two kids away from them. Hinata looked at the retreating backs of the group and started looking for more people they could find.

* * *

"You can rest for a while. We will start again when the sun rises," the ANBU with a dog mask said to her while giving her a hot cup of coffee. Hinata bowed her head at him and accepted the offer. "Thank you for your hard work," the ANBU said and then walked to his tent, leaving Hinata there in the campfire.

She blew the coffee and sipped on it, flinching when realizing that it was still hot. Hinata sighed as she decided to hold it on her hand for a while, enjoying the warmth that it brings to her cold hands. She wrapped the blanket tighter on her body when the wind blew. She didn't really feel like going back to her tent yet. She just wanted some peace and quiet.

Hinata stared longingly at the fire in front of her. It reminded of the fire she just saw a few hours ago – the fire that burned her cousin's body to ashes. She started to wonder if it was better if they just buried his body without burning it, but that would mean that she wouldn't see nor touch him anymore. The ash was probably the best option for them. With this, they could feel that Neji's with them, even if he isn't really there.

She suddenly heard the trees rustling and looked at the direction where the sounds where coming from. The ANBU said that some groups were coming to the same place as them, so this must be what he was saying. She heard some barking, which she instantly recognized.

"Kiba-kun…!" Hinata said as she stood up, her blanket dropping onto the ground with a flop.

Akamaru suddenly leapt out from the trees then landed in front of Hinata perfectly, sending dust everywhere. On top of Akamaru was Kiba, who didn't expect to see Hinata tonight.

"What the- What are you doing here?" Kiba blurted out, while the others arrived as well after them.

"I… I'm helping with the search," Hinata answered as she grabbed the dropped blanket and put it on her seat. Her other hand was still holding onto the cup of coffee that was given to her.

"I thought Hanabi took your place," Kiba said, patting Akamaru on the head as he went down his dog. The two of them were dirty, with dust and gravels all over their clothes and hair (or fur in Akamaru's case). Akamaru immediately yawned as soon as Kiba went down and took his place near the campfire, falling asleep instantly, not even caring about how filthy he was.

"Yeah, uhm… but I couldn't resist. I just wanted to help out."

"Heh. I expected something like that," Kiba smiled at her, his fangs jutting out from his mouth as usual. She started to smile as well. Kiba's smiles were always contagious ever since they were little.

"Uhm, do you want something?" Hinata asked. "Coffee? Food? Anything?" She asked as she reached her coffee to him, only to take it back instantly, realizing that her mouth had already touched it.

"I need rest."

"Oh. Right."

Kiba then walked past her, ruffling Hinata's hair as he walked, much to her surprise. He then grabbed his water can then refilled it with water by the river. He then quickly jumped to the same river, surprising her and others as well, though they were pretty used to it already. Kiba's an Inuzuka – it should already be expected for things like this to happen.

He then shook the water off him, which to this day, Hinata had found amusing. She wondered a bit if he didn't feel cold. Kiba then sat beside Hinata's seat and dried himself off using the campfire. Hinata then sat beside him and wrapped the blanket around her.

"How did you know that Hanabi replaced me?" Hinata asked after some silence.

"I met her a few hours ago," Kiba replied as he took off his jacket and placed it near the fire to let it dry. He didn't mind that Hinata was sitting beside him, and neither did Hinata. It's not like he's completely naked under that jacket. He still had a fishnet shirt under it. "I asked why she was here."

Hinata nodded at Kiba's answer and looked at the fire he was also looking at. She saw that Kiba had put his head on his arms, which were wrapped around his legs, and was just staring at the fire. His black, slit-like eyes were tinted orange from it.

Hinata thought for a while, but she finally knew what was bothering her ever since she met him again at the funeral.

Kiba felt lifeless.

These days, Kiba was just staring, not doing anything at all. He would speak but only for a short while. His lively attitude and expressions were gone, filled with a void of emptiness; Even the smile from before made her feel unusual from before, though still contagious. Just sitting beside him, she felt that he was warm, but she felt like he wasn't there at all. She might as well sit beside no one and it would feel the same. He was looking tired, too tired, and thinner than before. She probably would not have realized his weight if not for him taking off his jacket.

"Kiba-kun… Are you okay?" Hinata asked.

"Huh? Yeah. I'm… I'm fine." Kiba answered, stuttering a bit, as if he was hesitating to say something. He then ruffled his hair roughly, sending water droplets here and there, some of it splashing on Hinata's face. She didn't mind of course, and just wiped it off. She was too worried of her teammate than bothering with some water droplets.

"It's just that…" Kiba bit his lips. "You wouldn't really understand."

"Is it that bad?"

Kiba sighed as he looked at Hinata and back to the fire. "I… haven't eaten ever since I started this mission."

"…What?" Hinata was surprised, to say the least. In their team, Kiba was the big eater. He would scarf down anything, especially if it's chewy, and both Hinata and Shino would give their unfinished food to him, much to his delight. Hearing something as 'not eating' from Kiba was thought to be impossible.

"Three days have passed since we started this! Why?" Hinata raised her voice to which Kiba shut her off by covering her mouth with his hand. He looked at the onlookers and laughed at them, ensuring that everything's fine, before releasing Hinata from his grip.

"Don't raise your voice!" he hissed at her.

"They don't know?"

"Of course they don't! I'll be kicked off the mission if they knew," Kiba said, suddenly being reminded of his mother and sister and how they would get angry if they ever found out of his actions. "And it's not like I'm doing it on purpose…"

"What do you mean…?"

"I just… can't. I try to eat but… it's just…" Kiba cringed as words came out his mouth one by one. His hand then covered his nose instantly, as if his body was reacting to an awful smell. "I just can't stomach the food whenever I'm reminded of the smell," he continued in a muffled tone.

"Smell…" Hinata then finally realized what he was talking about.

"I mean, it's not like I'm not used to it. We're a reconnaissance team; we've seen a lot of dead people during our missions, but this… For the whole day, all I could and can smell are dead people; nothing but corpses. The food tastes horrible because the smell sticks in my mind. Even water tastes horrible. I end up just vomiting them sometimes when I'm out of their sight. The pills are the only thing that's keeping me going right now."

"Have you tried not focusing your chakra to your nose?" Hinata suggested.

"I tried but… You know that even if we don't focus it, our nose is still more powerful than normal, right?"

"Oh, right. Sorry."

"I can't even smell you. You're near me but I still can't. My mind is just reminded of that smell and it's driving me nuts," Kiba said. Hinata then finally knew why Kiba was surprised to see her. He couldn't smell her at all.

She suddenly remembered Kiba and Naruto's fight during the Chuunin exam and saw how painful it was for Kiba to smell Naruto's fart. He said that it was like there were needles in his nose. Hinata and her team always relied on Kiba's nose that they didn't even realize how much of a double-edged sword it is. Compared to her and Shino who would use their eyes and insects respectively, Kiba had to smell them directly. He has to smell them with that enhanced nose of his. When Hinata finds corpses, she has to stop herself from gagging to show respect for the dead. If that smell could make her gag with her normal nose, imagine what Kiba is feeling with his enhanced one.

"Don't tell anyone, okay? Just like you, I want to help out as much as I can."

"Do all the other Inuzukas feel the same way?" She wondered.

Kiba shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe I'm just not trained for that ability yet."

"Wait here," Hinata said as she stood up and went to her bag to grab something. Kiba was just staring at her as she put out object after an object before she found the thing she was looking for. She then neatly put the unnecessary objects back into her bag before seating beside Kiba again.

"Remember this?" Hinata asked as she held out the said object in front of her.

"Hey, that's the same ointment from before."

"Yes. I just thought that maybe this could counteract that horrible smell," she said as she opened the bottle, the scent of a powerful mint-like odor enveloping them in seconds. "I just remembered you complaining how strong the smell of this thing was before, so… it might help."

"Well, it _is_ strong." Kiba said as he accepted the ointment and put it near his nose. "I'd rather smell this than have that horrible smell imprinted into my mind." He closed his eyes as he inhaled a bit. He realized that the smell isn't as strong as he remembered when he was still little.

"It's not really much though…"

"Nah, it's fine. It's kind of soothing," he said as he took another whiff of the ointment. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Kiba then closed the ointment and put it in his kunai pouch. He then grabbed his jacket off the ground and hanged it on his shoulder. "Hinata, sorry but, I really need to rest. I think we're going off earlier than your team," he said apologetically.

"No, it's fine. You need the rest," Hinata said, yawning after seeing Kiba yawn. "I think I'll get some rest too while I can."

"You should. Your eye bags can't seem to hold your marbles any longer," he jokingly said, referring to her eyes.

"Same goes for you," Hinata said as she giggled.

"Goodnight Hinata," Kiba said as he went off to his own tent, looking back at Akamaru before deciding that he would leave his companion outside just for today. He didn't want to disturb his sleep just for him to move.

"Goodnight," Hinata said, waving at the brunette as he went in the tent. She then grabbed her blanket and drank her coffee before going to her tent to get some sleep.

It was another busy day for them tomorrow.

* * *

 **Well, congratulation. You've reached the end. Gold star for you.**

 **Anyway, please leave a review, or something that could improve my writing... if you have time for it.**

 **I think I use too much commas and run-on sentences. I'll probably improve on that.**

 **See you next chapter~**


	2. Almost Over

**Here it is. The second chapter.**

 **Thank you for the reviews BTW. I'm glad that you guys liked it.**

 **Okay. Let's go.**

* * *

When Hinata first met Kiba in the Academy, she didn't really have a good impression of him. He was full of grazes, especially on his legs, he was always frowning, his hair was a mess, his eyes were intimidating, and he was loud. The way he talked to his mother shocked her, for if she did the same thing to her father, she was sure that she would get thrown out of the compound. The way he acted inside the academy was something that she could never do in her entire life. The boy was reckless, careless, and wanted attention. He did whatever he wanted to.

After a few years, Kiba had brought a puppy with him, who he introduced as Akamaru. A small, white puppy with brown fur on his ears was on Kiba's head, sitting there comfortably. She remembered when the girls in the class tried to touch the pup, much to Kiba's irritation. When the boys tried to tell on Kiba, Iruka-sensei explained that Kiba had an excuse because he was an Inuzuka, a clan who was known for their use of ninken as their fighting companion, much to the boys' disappointment.

For the first time, Hinata wanted to approach Kiba. She was really curious of his new pet. She wanted to touch it. However, when their eyes met, she quickly avoided his gaze, her face becoming a shade of red due to embarrassment.

When they finally graduated from the Academy, Hinata was teamed up with Shino and Kiba, much to her horror. She really wished that she be teamed up with Naruto, but nevertheless, she tried to accept it. She has talked to Shino a few times and knew that the boy was nice, but never had the same chance to do the same with Kiba. He was just too intimidating for her. Knowing the fact that they are teammates now, Hinata was worried of what Kiba might think of her. Does he have a huge expectation from her knowing that she came from a prestigious clan? What did he think of her? Does he see her as a weakling?

When she got to bond with her team more and more, she learned that, though still loud and rowdy, Kiba had a soft side to him. She thought that it was probably because Kiba lived with his sister and mother, making him more understanding of women than other boys their age. He was nice, even though he teased her sometimes here and there, but she knew that they were not meant to be harmful.

His training methods were different from Shino, full of taunts compared to full of tips, which never affected her. It was too obvious that Kiba was trying to anger her so that she would attack him. She eventually did when Kiba had pushed the wrong button, and for doing so, she accidentally sent Kiba to the hospital for breaking a rib and closing off his chakra points. She apologized for it a lot, while Kiba just laughed, cringing as he held his rib.

Eventually, Hinata started opening up to them, Shino first before Kiba, telling them everything about herself. She talked about her deceased mother, how strict her father was and how he had given up on her, her cousin who had a grudge on her, and how her younger sister is better than her. She told him that she thinks it was a mistake that she graduated from the academy, and that maybe, just maybe, the academy just passed her because she's the daughter of Hiashi, the head of the Hyuuga clan.

For Hinata, that was probably the nicest thing Kiba could have done for her. Kiba almost never listens to anyone, but here he was, listening to her stories, not even speaking a word. He just listened, never interrupted, letting her speak out her worries and stress in her life. For hours, he sat there on the grass with Hinata until sunset, listening intently to every word that came out of her mouth.

There were a lot of times when Kiba and Shino helped her. Right now, as she stares at her own reflection in the river, her face dripping wet from washing, she realized that both of her teammates contributed so much to her growth. It was because of them that she had managed to get this far.

Looking at the place where Kiba's tent used to stood, she knew that she had to do something for him.

It was the least she could do after everything that they did for her.

* * *

Choji found it odd that he was seeing Hinata, of all people, in the supermarket today. He has seen Sakura, Ino, or Tenten a few times in this place, but never Hinata. The girl was rich and was living in a huge compound. His home did not even take a quarter of their land. It was _that_ huge. With that size, he was sure that there were servants or maids to do almost everything to the family, such as buying groceries.

He raised his eyebrows when he saw Hinata pick up a jar filled with pickles and smelled it. He saw how she crinkled her nose and looked at it for a few seconds before putting it back on the shelf. The way she put her stray hair behind her ears and the way she was mumbling to herself as she looked down, made him wonder if Hinata was wondering about something. Maybe she couldn't find what she was looking for? Did she even _know_ what she was looking for? What was she doing here in the first place anyway? Don't their servants do the grocery shopping for them?

As he watched Hinata walk to the next aisle, looking left and right, he started to think of another possibility of why she was here. Perhaps she's trying to learn how to cook. Maybe she's trying to cook for someone. After all, homemade is far better than food from restaurants, even though they _are_ delicious. There is just something about homemade food that makes it special.

As minutes passed, Hinata's expression was getting more problematic. She looked like she wanted to cry and give up. She had a basket in her hand but there was nothing inside it, compared to Choji's mountain full cart. When he saw Hinata sigh, he decided to finally approach her.

"Hey Hinata," Choji called out to her. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, hi Choji-kun," Hinata smiled at the boy who chuckled. Hinata sounded like a lost girl. "I'm just looking for something…"

"I can help you with that. Just ask anything! I'm an expert in regards to this place," he offered, not mentioning the part where he's been observing her for a few minutes now. He didn't want to put the girl in an awkward position.

"I-I'm looking for a food with a strong smell."

"You have to be more specific with that."

"No. Anything is fine as long as it's delicious," Hinata said as she fixed her fringe. "It's for Kiba-kun…" she then added.

"Kiba? What, did he order you to cook something for him?" Choji laughed.

"N-No! No… He would never do that," she said, panicking. She didn't want to give a bad impression of Kiba just because of a little misunderstanding. "I just wanted to give him something."

Choji started to think if it was Kiba's birthday. But he remembered that they had celebrated that before the planning for the war had even started.

"He, uhm…" Hinata bit her lip, wondering if she should say the problem to Choji. As she looked again at Choji, who was waiting for her to continue, she remembered that Kiba and Choji, along with Shikamaru and Naruto, were friends during their time in the academy. Not only that, Choji was one of the people who she knew that she could trust. She was sure that he would never spread any secrets or rumors.

Hinata then explained to Choji about Kiba's eating problems. As words came out from her mouth, Choji's expression changed to worry instantly.

"Man, I was the one giving him his set of soldier pills because we're close and all and I never even noticed it," Choji said as he scratched the back of his neck. Kiba looked so normal and fine when he gave the soldier pills to him. With his heart set on helping his friend, Choji started to look around until he found the meat section.

"If I remember correctly, he likes meat, right?" He said as he started walking towards it, with Hinata following him as fast as she possibly can for her short legs couldn't match Choji's large steps. "I think you can start with that. You can make a jerky with this," he said as he pointed to one of the meat displayed.

"I've thought about it but I'm not sure if I could do it correctly…" Hinata said.

"Well, you could come to my house. My mom could teach you how to do it," he offered.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Thank you so much!" Hinata said, her eyes brightening up. "I can't thank you enough, Choji."

"Once is enough for me, Hinata," he said, reassuring the girl. "Also, about his nose, I remember Shikamaru saying that coffee somehow resets your nose. Maybe you should try that."

Hinata suddenly remembered the night when she met Kiba. She never knew that the coffee she was holding in her hands was the solution to their problem. She then nodded at Choji and smiled. "I will."

* * *

"Are you okay? Do you need some rest?"

Hinata suddenly dropped her hands to her sides when she heard one of the ANBU talk to her. Her eyes were starting to hurt, her vision was getting blurry, so she tried to subtly massage her eyes when they were tending to the injured person they had located deep in a cave. She was sure that they wouldn't see her because it was getting dark, but her thoughts were proven wrong.

"No, I'm okay. Just a bit sleepy," She quickly bit her tongue when she realized what she had just said. She has just made her situation worse. "But I'm fine now," she said, reassuring the ANBU and at the same time, trying to save herself from embarrassment.

"You don't have to force yourself," the ANBU said as she examined Hinata's eyes, moving her fringe away from her forehead to have a good look, being careful to not poke Hinata with the beak of her bird mask. "Your eyes seem to be strained already."

"I'm fine. Please don't worry about me."

"No. You did enough already. Besides, it's getting dark. We will continue tomorrow," she said as she looked at the person who lost their leg during the war and thus, unable to go back home. She then looked back at Hinata who just nodded, knowing that it was not good to force what she wanted. The ANBU was her leader, and her responsibility is to follow her.

"Your friend, the young Inuzuka with the white dog," the ANBU started, catching the attention of Hinata quickly. "His group and two more would be spending the night with us later."

Hinata didn't know why the ANBU mentioned that to her. Maybe she thought that it would make Hinata feel a bit better knowing the fact that her teammate would be with her later night. Hinata then thanked the ANBU as she watched the man from the Land of Wind be taken away, wondering how many people were left to be located.

* * *

"You know…"

Hinata looked at Kiba who was currently sniffing the jar of coffee beans that she brought with her today. The brunette just sat there in front of the fire, like he did a few nights before. When she handed him the jar and explained its purpose, he first found it ludicrous. But after sniffing it a couple of times and then drinking his water, he then realized that Hinata was correct.

When Hinata found the lunchbox deep inside her bag, she neatly put everything back before sitting back beside Kiba. She hoped that the food inside didn't get messed up as she slowly opened it. She then thanked the heavens when everything was still in its place.

"I found a pregnant woman today…" Kiba said as he held a coffee bean between his fingers and threw it in the fire. "Well, she wasn't really pregnant anymore when we found her."

"Was she still alive?" Hinata asked, surprised when Kiba instantly grabbed a jerky from the lunchbox. She then decided to never point out that he was eating; afraid that he might suddenly lose his appetite if she did so.

"Yeah," Kiba said, the jerky hanging from his mouth and waggling as he talked.

"…Miscarriage?"

Kiba nodded as he took a rice ball from the lunchbox. "Apparently, she didn't know that she was pregnant when she decided to participate in the war. When she got thrown away and was alone for a while, that was the moment she felt that there was life inside her. It was too late though."

"Where's her husband?" Hinata asked, drinking the tea she brought with her also, watching Kiba's hand grab the food inside the packed lunch one by one.

"He's dead."

"Did you find him?"

"He was dead even before the war started. Some kind of sickness, if I remember correctly," Kiba said, looking at the fire. He could still remember when he suddenly caught the scent of blood and tears when they were digging underground. When he told this to his leader, the leader decided to split the group into two: one to continue the rescue, while the other would accompany Kiba. Kiba then decided to leave Akamaru with the former group to help fasten their work.

When they finally arrived to the location where he pinpointed the scent, he found a woman whose eyes immediately widened when she saw him and approached him instantly. He was surprised when the woman hugged him tightly, crying onto his shoulder, apologizing several times. Kiba was frozen, not even returning the hug, didn't even try to console the woman. His nose was overloading with the scent of blood, tears, and death coming from the woman, all at the same time. It took two men to separate the woman off of him.

Kiba's mind suddenly went to Kurenai-sensei and wondered if she was okay. He hasn't seen her ever since the war ended, though he did notice her scent during Neji's funeral. He suddenly regrets going off early that day. He could have at least stayed a little bit longer, catching up with Shino, stayed by Hinata's side when she was mourning, check up on his sensei and all.

"I want to go home," Kiba whispering, just enough for the both of them to hear. He buried his head into his arms and stayed that way, ashamed of showing weakness. He was just so tired of everything.

Seeing Kiba so vulnerable like this was surreal to Hinata. She had always looked up to the boy, for he was something that she wasn't. He was brave, courageous, fearless, energetic, and a risk taker; she was not. He was always the one who consoled her, his optimism helping her in various ways, cheering her on even though she herself had given up. She had gotten so used to seeing him standing straight, looking forward, and strong that his vulnerability was making her feel odd and uncomfortable.

As Hinata looked at Kiba, she was reminded that they were still kids. They were sixteen year olds, and have experienced so much in their entire life. Both of them have experienced a near death experience, both of them have participated in the war, both of them have lost someone or seen someone lose theirs. Did they even have the time to be teenagers? They could barely remember the last time they had _real fun_ , but could easily remember their last mission.

Perhaps, she thought, that the stress of being a ninja had already taken a toll on Kiba. There was too much pressure on him and his clan right now; his body never had the time to rest or recover, and the constant use of his nose and techniques was wearing him out. Their leader said that the mission would almost be over, but 'almost' was taking forever. Kiba was devoted to his responsibilities as a ninja, but even a person like him could get tired of it.

She suddenly missed seeing him running around the village, jumping on roofs, climbing on trees, and just having the time of his life, enjoying every moment he has. She missed seeing him having fun, feeling _alive_ , because whenever she spots him doing so, she feels the same thing as he does.

After some time of silence, Hinata wondered if Kiba was okay and scooted closer to him. After analyzing his breathing pattern, she realized that he had just fallen asleep. She smiled to herself as she ran her hand through his brown locks, being careful not to wake him up.

"Thank you for your hard work," she whispered to him. "I'm so proud of you…"

* * *

 **Congratulation. You've reached the end of Chapter 2. Here's a cookie.**

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 **Anyway, thank you and see you next chapter~**


	3. Gratitude

**Here is chapter 3.**

 **Thank you for the favorites, follows, and the reviews. You guys are my life.**

 **Okay. Let's go.**

* * *

Hinata opened her eyes at the sound of footsteps outside of her tent. She remained lying down, staring at the ceiling of her tent, as she listened on to the pattern of the steps, trying to guess who it was. They were heavy, fast, had a slight scratching sound, as if it was scraping the ground, and heard a slight sniffing sound. Her lips began to smile when she recognized that it was Akamaru's, recalling the days when his footsteps were just a simple pitter-patter on the ground.

She heard another set of footsteps, this time, being a bit quieter and lighter than Akamaru's. The sound of the sandals as it touched the ground, the hushing sound the person made, and the sound of Akamaru's tail wagging on the floor as he sat, sweeping off the dusts and gravel, made her know that it was Kiba. No one can make Akamaru's tail wag like that except him. They were probably preparing to go off now.

Waking up due to sound of footsteps was not something new to Hinata. During their academy days, one of the lessons thought to them was about sleep. As ninjas who are always on missions that usually take days to complete, it is inevitable that they would campout, surrounded by danger.

Iruka-sensei emphasized the importance of teamwork, how each member would take turns to be the lookout while the others would sleep. However, it does not mean that the resting members would rely completely on the lookout while they were sleeping. They should be ready to wake up instantly and prepare to either fight or run. For months, all of them were trained to be light sleepers. It was one of the hardest things that were taught in their school, for they must break out of their usual sleeping habit, and being kids who liked breaking rules by sleeping late, it was not an easy task.

Compared to others who were having a hard time adjusting, Kiba had an easy time. It was one of the things that Kiba _actually_ excelled at, besides speed. Hinata couldn't believe that the boy who usually (always) slept in class could excel in this activity.

It was until they graduated and became teammates when she learned that Kiba was just used to being a light sleeper. He explained that his mother usually came home at really weird times, either really late at night or early morning. He would unconsciously try to catch her scent or listen to the small noises that his mother would make when she comes home, like the sound of the door or the clanking sound her forehead protector makes on the table. He would then get up and see his mother off to her next job before going back to sleep.

She remembers when Kiba joked that it was probably because he was afraid that his mother would be gone when he wakes up the next day, just like his father. While Kiba just laughed, Hinata thought that he was probably saying the truth.

Hinata sat up from her position when she heard another set of footsteps approaching Kiba and Akamaru. She didn't even need to listen in on the pattern anymore because as soon as the person spoke, she knew that it was Shino. She could hear them exchanging greetings and talking about how their day went.

Hinata had always found Kiba and Shino's friendship to be quite unusual. Naruto and Sasuke were destined, Shikamaru and Choji were childhood friends, and Neji and Lee were rivals. Kiba and Shino were like a mix of everything altogether. They always argued, they were always against each other, they always disagreed on everything, and they were practically opposites. Kiba wants to run around, Shino prefers to stay put and relax. Kiba prefers to charge head-on, while Shino prefers thinking up a strategy first before attacking. She couldn't count how many times she got in between their fights, not wanting to take sides.

Their teamwork, however, was outstanding. When Kiba and Shino do collaboration attacks, they were perfectly in sync, as if they could read each other's mind.

Sometimes, when they are on their missions, she would wake up to the mumbling sounds of Kiba and Shino talking in front of the campfire. Hinata would catch some of their conversation, such as Shino admitting his loneliness during their academy days, and Kiba admitting his insecurities. She would eventually force herself to sleep because she knew that this was just something that she shouldn't listen to. There was a reason why they prefer to talk about these things while she slept. It was something confidential between the two boys.

This continued on even as they grew up, until Kiba raised a question:

 _"Why are you even telling me these things?"_

 _"I don't know. All I know is that I trust you."_

Hinata remembers smiling to herself at Shino's answer to Kiba's question. Kiba had answered the same thing when Shino returned his question to him. Hinata had always wondered if Shino hated Kiba, especially with their constant bickering, and knowing that he didn't and never did so was making her heart warm. Shino trusted Kiba with his secrets and dilemmas, because as much as Kiba is a loud mouth who talks before he thinks, Shino knew inside that Kiba would never betray him. And Kiba, despite being vocal about his irritation, knew that Shino would never turn his back to him.

There was no denying in the fact that the two had some sort of a mutual understanding between them and an unbreakable trust.

"Are you going now?"

Hinata snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Shino asking Kiba a question.

"Yeah," Kiba said in a low volume.

"You're not going to wait for Hinata to wake up?" Hinata's ears perked when she heard her name.

"I would want to, but I really need to go. It's not like I have a choice," Kiba said as he looked at his leader who was waiting for him to finish.

"Good luck then, I heard there's only a few left," Shino said after some few seconds of silence.

"Thanks, and get some good rest Shino. You sound like you're going to collapse," Kiba said, chuckling as he patted Shino's shoulder. He then rode on Akamaru then went to his group. Shino watched Kiba as he and his group disappeared into the forest, before going off to sleep.

Hinata sat there inside the tent, disappointed a bit. She wanted to see Kiba off and wish him luck as well, but couldn't find the right time to do so when the two boys were talking with each other. She felt that it wasn't right for her to suddenly interrupt their conversation. Shino's words however, where he mentioned that there were only a few left to locate, was stuck in her mind.

It's finally going to be over.

* * *

Kiba sighed as he sniffed the small jar of coffee beans that Hinata gave him four days ago, while sitting on a boulder after his group decided to take a short break. The smell of coffee has been helping him a lot, and made his appetite a bit better. It still wasn't as good as before, but it was enough. He was at least able to stomach some biscuits these days.

The search was getting harder now that there's only a few left. There were times when he would detect a scent, and realize that the person he found was already being tended to. It was tiring running around only to find out that the job is done.

He looked at the sun above them, wondering to himself how it was cold despite the sun burning above them. He counted the days in his head and sniffed the air, rubbing his nose at the pain of sniffing cold, dry air.

"How time flies…" Kiba muttered to himself when he realized that it was almost November. Just a few weeks ago, they were engaged in a war against the Ten-Tails. Just a few days ago, they were tasked to locate missing people. He did not even realize that a week has already passed by ever since they started. A few months more and Hinata would turn seventeen, and another more would make Shino turn eighteen. It only felt like yesterday when the four of them got assigned as Team 8, and now, they are almost reaching adulthood.

Akamaru nudged his hand suddenly, asking some water from Kiba. Kiba then poured some in a cup then gave it to his companion. He smiled as he watched Akamaru lap the water in an instant and stretched. Kiba scratched the head of Akamaru as the dog drifted into sleep. A quick power nap was all Akamaru needed to regain his energy.

Kiba recalled when Akamaru used to be small, how he would stay either in his jacket or on his head. He was too small to jump over trees and didn't have enough stamina to run a long distance, which was why he would catch a ride on Kiba. When Akamaru had a sudden growth spurt, the dog then decided to return the favor by giving him a ride now that Akamaru was big.

His friends have changed a lot too as they grew up. Shino's appearance did not change much, though his list of grudges was getting longer and longer. Hinata was more confident with her abilities now compared to before, but still has that meekness in her. He's just glad that her fidgeting has stopped, as it was irritating to look at.

The sound of a hawk suddenly caught Kiba and his group's attention. It quickly landed onto the ANBU's shoulder, who grabbed the letter that was attached onto the hawk's leg. The hawk then flew off, going back to where it came from.

"The mission is done," the ANBU said as he gave the letter to the one beside him and told him to pass it around so that everyone could see it. "Thank you all for your hard work," he added as he removed his animal mask to reveal his face, something that everyone thought it was prohibited to do. The ANBU then approached Kiba then bowed at him, making the brunette laugh nervously at the sudden formality, and rubbed Akamaru's belly. As Kiba watched him play with his dog, he thought that the ANBU removed the mask just so he could show how thankful he was.

Kiba stretched upwards, reaching out to the sky as he gave a big smile. This was probably one of the hardest things he did in his entire life, but no matter how much of a hard work it was, it was a good experience. Not only was he able to lend a hand to all the villages, but he was able to improve his tracking skills again.

"Kiba."

Kiba's body quickly tensed when he heard that familiar voice. The other group members suddenly became quiet as they looked at the person who was behind Kiba. He forced himself to turn around, to see his sister, Hana, looking at him with a hint of worry in her eyes, and his mother, Tsume, with a stern look.

"We need to talk," Tsume said to her son, who already knew what they were probably going to discuss about. He reluctantly followed Tsume who started running towards Konoha.

He knows that he could never hide anything from his mother.

* * *

"Shino-kun!" Hinata called out to her friend as she ran towards him. It was a coincidence that their groups were in the same area, and she was glad that they were. She didn't really have anyone close to her in her group, being mostly composed of adults beyond her age, and was feeling awkward when they started celebrating as soon as they received the letter that the mission was done.

"Looks like we're done," Shino said as he watched one of his insects crawl onto his hand and buried back into his skin. Hinata used to be creeped out of this before, but grew out and got used to it after a while. She had to read a lot of books about the Aburame clan just to understand everything about Shino, as she had no courage at that time to ask him personally, afraid that the boy might get offended.

"Kiba's not coming, by the way," Shino suddenly said, surprising Hinata. She never made any mention of the brunette, though she was thinking about him, wondering when he'll come to meet with them.

"Oh…? D-Did something happen?" Hinata coughed, trying to regain her composure. She was still taken a back at Shino bringing up Kiba's name all of a sudden.

"He got dragged to the hospital by his mother and sister. Why? That is because they found out that Kiba was hiding his eating problems from them."

"Oh, okay…" Hinata said as she put her stray hair behind her ears. She repeated what Shino said to her and realized something. "Wait, you knew about it?"

"I was the first to know," Shino said, not noticing Hinata's slight look of disappointment. She really thought that she was the only one who knew about his problems. Of course Shino knew about it; not only can Shino easily detect and read moods and emotions, he was probably the first person Kiba would tell his problems to, aside from his family.

"I didn't know how to help him though. Those things aren't really my specialty. So I suggested to him to tell you about it, knowing that you will somehow find a way to aid him," Shino paused for a bit before continuing. "I'm surprised that he listened to my suggestion."

"Well, he didn't _really_ tell me… I just asked him what was wrong because he looked down and all, and then he told me why."

"Good enough. As long as he told you, I'm fine with it."

One of the ANBU approached the two of them and said that they were going back to the village now, and were asking them if they would either come with them or would rather take their own time going home. Shino and Hinata looked at each other and decided on the former choice, not seeing any reason for them to 'take their time' going back home.

As they started running, Shino looked at Hinata, who seemed to be lost in thought as she stared off at the distance.

"Do you want to visit him?" Shino asked. He was right in thinking that Hinata was worried about their other team member. "We could wait for him outside the hospital, since he's only there for a checkup. I'm sure that he's not going to be confined there."

"I think that's a good idea," Hinata said with a smile.

"Alright, but I'll be leaving you for a while. Why? That is because I have some errands that must be done today. It's only for a short while."

"Okay."

* * *

When they arrived at the village, after being greeted by the gate guards, Shino and Hinata went their separate ways. Shino headed towards his home, while Hinata headed towards the hospital. She thought of going to her home first as well since she had ample time, wanting to inform her father about her return and the mission, but decided that she'll just do that later on.

The repair of the village was going faster than predicted. The roads that were full of fissures when they started the mission were now fixed. Some of the houses and the buildings were now rebuilt, kids were starting to play on the streets again, and the shops were finally open. The alliance of the villages must have made the construction faster than usual.

When Hinata got to the hospital, she saw that the building was still full of people. There were still a lot of people being taken care of, counting the ones they found during their task. She saw a glimpse of Ino, her long blond hair tied into a bun, as she helped a man stand up from his wheelchair.

"Hinata?"

Hinata quickly turned to see Sakura, holding a bag full of fruits and another bag full of medicines.

* * *

"Here, catch!" Sakura said as she threw Hinata a can of juice, amused when the girl scrambled to catch it. She quickly muttered an apology to Hinata then sat beside her on the bench, drinking the juice as soon as she opened it.

"Uhm, you really didn't have to…. You know?" Hinata said as she watched Sakura drink the juice in one gulp. Sakura must have been exhausted from all the things she does in the hospital.

"Just take it, Hinata," Sakura said, urging the girl to just take her gift.

"Oh… well, uhm, thank you," Hinata said as she opened the can and took a sip. She didn't really like orange juice as she didn't like sour things, but kept it to herself. It would be rude if she complained about something that was given to her.

The two of them sat there for a while, with Sakura watching the sky change its color from pink to orange then a mix of blue and violet, while Hinata took quick glances on Sakura's forehead, wondering what the mark on her head is. Hinata didn't really have a "close" relationship with Sakura, so she didn't really know how to approach the pink-haired girl.

"H-how was Kiba-kun?" Hinata started, trying to break the ice.

"Kiba? Oh, right. He's fine. He lost weight, his chakra flow was kind of abnormal, probably from taking those pills too much, but other than that, there's nothing to worry about. He has a slight fever though," Sakura explained. "Were you there to meet him?"

Hinata nodded. "We gave him some prescription already so he should be fine," Sakura said as she took another sip from the can. "For a second, I thought you were applying for the job."

"Job?"

"Yeah. We really need some extra hands right now in the hospital. There are just too much people to handle and the staff just isn't enough. The way you looked at the hospital made me think that you were interested."

Sakura then crushed the now empty can in her hands and faced Hinata. "Please, Hinata. I know that you have an experience in medicine. I've seen you offer that ointment to Naruto and Kiba when we were in the Chuunin exam, and they were great. "

"Uh… I-I don't know…" Hinata mumbled. Sure, she had an experience making medicine, but it was a work of an amateur. Not only that, but unlike Sakura and Ino, Hinata never took the time to study or train being a medical ninja. She knew basic first aid but that was only that. Becoming a medical ninja was just something that never took Hinata's interest, no matter how much people convince her to become one since her chakra control was great.

"Or…" Sakura continued. "If you don't like participating in curing people, you could just help around, bringing things here and there, or be in the front desk and write some names," Sakura paused for a bit then realized how big of a request she was asking from Hinata.

"I'm sorry. I know that you just got back from a mission that lasted for a week or more, and I know you're still tired…"

Hinata thought for a while to herself as Sakura continued rambling on, convincing Hinata to help at the hospital. Now that she thinks about it, she didn't really have anything to do. When she wakes up the next day, she would not know _what_ to do. She could read a book; helping in the household, train to improve herself, but she wanted to contribute something to the village, and the best way to probably do that right now is to help out in the hospital.

She looked at her hands, the hold on the can of juice tightening. It's not really a bad idea. Maybe the experience would be good for her, and would be of use someday.

* * *

After meeting Kiba outside the hospital, all four of them walked together, enjoying the lanterns that lit up as night enveloped the sky, and headed towards the Hyuuga compound, where they would drop Hinata off.

"So, do you have plans after this?" Shino suddenly asked.

"….huh?" Kiba said, feeling a bit woozy from his fever (which he didn't realize that he had) and the hundreds of medicines Sakura forced him to drink. His ears were still ringing from all the screaming and scolding Tsume did during his checkup. He understands that his mother was worried about him, but she could have at least lowered her voice down a little, saving him from embarrassment.

Hinata repeated Shino's question to Kiba. She watched Kiba space out for a bit and giggled when he asked her to repeat the question one more time.

"Oh, plans. Yeah. Plans…." Kiba said, his eyes staring off into distance. Shino, Hinata, and even Akamaru, started to worry about his state, wondering if Sakura mistook liquor for medicine.

"I think I'll take up being a messenger again…" the brunette said slowly. "The same thing I did after the Pain incident," he explained. It was a perfect job for him because it requires his speed and tracking skills. He also enjoyed talking and interacting with many different people of the village, meeting new people and catch up with the others. "How about you, Shino?"

"I'll probably help with the hospital. They seem to be having problems producing medicine for the sick and injured. My insects could help locate herbs that are necessary ingredients in making the medicines." It was a request that his father, Shibi, asked from him, thinking that it was a good idea. Shino thought that it was as well. The amount of insects he has could speed up the process, and with his tracking skills, ingredients would be found easier and faster than a person could. He also thinks that it would be a good learning experience.

Both Shino and Kiba then looked at Hinata, waiting for her answer.

"Uh… I…" Hinata licked her lips as she gathered up her thoughts. "Sakura-chan asked me if I could help in the hospital as well and… I-I agreed," she said in a hesitating manner. "I'm not sure if I could help out a lot but I'll try to do my best."

"You'll do just fine Hinata," Kiba said as he rubbed his eyes, trying to force himself to stay awake. The medicine probably had an ingredient that made him feel drowsy all of a sudden.

"Just be confident," Shino added.

"I will," Hinata nodded, taking their encouragement to her heart. "Thank you."

"So, I guess we won't be meeting each other for quite a while…"

Team 8 was considered as one of the most tight-knit groups in the village. They were barely seen separated from each other, even if they are not on a mission. Where one goes, the others go as well. Kiba always follows Shino and Hinata around because he was curious and protective, akin to that of a dog to his master. Shino always followed Kiba and Hinata around because he would worry about the both of them; Kiba for his impulsive attitude, and Hinata's timidity. Hinata followed Kiba and Shino around because explorations with the two of them were quite interesting.

It was fascinating to see, to say the least. Three people who barely interacted with each other in the academy, forced to be together just because of their ability as trackers, have found comfort with each other. Nobody ever thought that a boy who gets agitated easily, another boy who's stoic, and a girl who barely speaks out, would get along.

"There is always a way," Shino replied. "I can meet Hinata by giving her the medicines that the pharmacists make, while you can deliver the packages, if there are, directly to us."

"I'll probably be in the front desk all of the time so, you really have to pass through me," Hinata said, her lips in a smile.

"Well, I guess there's no problem there," Kiba said as he chuckled, feeling reassured.

* * *

"Good night, Shino-kun, Kiba-kun," Hinata said as she stood in the center of the gate of the Hyuuga compound. "Take a good rest, Kiba-kun," she added, looking at the boy whose eyes were drooping. She found it hilarious and kind of cute, seeing Kiba fighting the drowsiness.

"Good night, Hinata," Kiba said, giving her a tired smile.

"Have a good rest too, Hinata," Shino said. The two of them then waved her a good bye as they walked towards Kiba's home next.

As the cold wind blew, she looked up at the sky filled with stars. For some reason, it felt different from when she looked at them during the mission. They were the same sky, same stars, and yet, the ones that are there tonight made her feel at peace. The dread and exhaustion must have affected her view of the stars for a while.

She missed those days where her team would look up at the sky and identify constellations. Kiba will point at the stars; Shino would tell him the name of the constellation, while Hinata would sometimes tell a myth or a story related to the constellation. Kurenai-sensei would often join them as well. She preferred to keep quiet and listen to her students, sometimes learning new things that she didn't even know about. It was one of the things that they did to pass time when they couldn't sleep during a mission.

Hinata noticed that the lights in her father's room were still on despite being this late at night. She wondered what her father was doing at this hour and thought of helping him out. She was going to visit his room either ways to report about her return and, perhaps, talk about her experiences, if he was interested.

"Hinata!"

Hinata was suddenly surprised when she heard someone call out to her name. She quickly turned around and saw that it was Kiba, peeking from the wooden gate as he motioned for her to come closer.

"Kiba-kun?" Hinata said in a loud whisper, not knowing why she did so. "What's wrong?"

"I just wanted to say… uh, thank you… for everything," Kiba said, mumbling through his words.

"What for?" Hinata asked. She really didn't know what Kiba was thanking her for.

"You know, for helping me out? You gave me that ointment and that jar of coffee to help my nose, you even made some food that has a strong scent, you listened through my ramblings, and just… being at my side," Kiba said as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Oh…," Hinata said, being the only thing that came out of her mouth as he listed off what she did for him. "It's nothing really… I wasn't able to help you that much."

"It was enough for me, and that's what matters," Kiba reassured her, and he really meant it. He knew that Hinata poured a lot of effort in finding ways to help him in some way. For him, it's the effort that's important.

He looked at his left, the direction where he came from, and faced Hinata again. "I just wanted to say that. Anyway, good night, Hinata," he said as he gave her a toothy smile before running off to Shino and Akamaru's side who were waiting for him patiently at an intersection. He apologized to Shino for making him wait before the three of them started walking.

Hinata watched the two of them talk as they walk together, the streetlights illuminating their paths. She couldn't help but giggle when she saw Kiba getting flustered at what Shino mentioned, while Akamaru was happily trotting, his tail wagging side to side, minding his own business. It made her wonder what Shino said to the brunette that made him react like that.

"You're welcome…" she whispered to him as she went inside of her house.

* * *

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	4. Cold and Warm Days

**Here's Chapter 4. Enjoy.**

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 **Okay. Let's go.**

* * *

It has been two weeks since Hinata has started working in the hospital, and finally, after all this time, she's been entrusted to do things by her own now. Even though Sakura recommended her to the hospital, saying how reliable and trustworthy she was, the head nurse did not want to believe her and assigned an elderly nurse to watch over Hinata. She would always linger around Hinata's shoulder, watching every movement she makes like a predator to its prey.

Hinata couldn't really blame them for doubting her skills. Words alone are not enough to justify capability. She had to _show_ them that Sakura was saying the truth about her. However, for the first few days, she wasn't really doing a very good job of doing it.

For one, her voice was said to be too soft. People could barely hear her when she was asking questions or when she called out their names or numbers. Hinata couldn't help but freeze up and mumble out her words when someone she doesn't know asks questions, afraid that she might give a wrong answer or information. She couldn't remember how many times she has been scolded, comparing her to a squeaking rat, then taking it back, saying that even rats are louder than her. It reminded of her days in the academy, when Iruka would ask her to make her answer loud and clear.

Second, she was a little bit clumsy, something that was very looked down upon in a hospital. She never broke any hospital equipment _yet_ , but there were a lot of times when she came close to. She would fumble around, dropping her ball pen or any material multiple times in one day, tripping, and misplacing things. Hinata was just glad that she hadn't put a medicine in a wrong location yet, for she was sure that she would get banned from the hospital when that happens.

Third and final one was that her writing was too small. It was a problem she had ever since she was young. Even her father and her team commented upon it. The elderly nurse would always squint her eyes when reading Hinata's writing, even with her glasses on. The nurse eventually gave Hinata a book to practice her penmanship, which Hinata does after she gets home.

The only thing that she was praised for was her ability to remember faces and names immediately. Her kindness and age has also been a plus point, especially for children who are afraid of going to a hospital. She was approachable, and was viewed as a sister by the kids.

After a few days, she had finally gotten used to the system in the hospital and drastically improved, instead of being a nervous wreck all the time. The elderly nurse even complimented her and said that she would be fine on her own now.

"Thank you for the help," her co-worker said as she placed the box filled with medical supplies on the side. She then took the box Hinata was carrying and put it beside the same box.

"You're welcome," Hinata said as she excused herself from the room, heading back to the front desk.

With no one to watch everything that she does anymore, Hinata slightly felt lonely. Even though Hinata was finally relieved that she was not going to hear the nurse's shrill voice as she pointed out Hinata's flaws, she did quite like the company. The nurse was helpful and motherly towards her whenever she was in a good mood. Also, she had good stories to tell.

Hinata stopped in her tracks suddenly when she passed by a room, hearing a familiar laugh. It was the same laugh that she heard at the academy every day. She went back a bit, her heartbeat increasing in tempo, and peeked in the room to see Naruto talking with Sasuke, with Sakura by their side.

From what she could catch from their conversation, Naruto was talking about his training with Jiraiya. Sakura was contributing as well, talking about the harsh training Tsunade gave her. Sasuke was just nodding and smiling, and sometimes, commenting about their stories. He would also add his own side as well, sharing about Team Taka. The three of them were catching up with each other, making up for the lost time.

She then heard Naruto talking excitedly about how Tsunade was making a prosthetic hand for him that was made out of Hashirama's cells, and convincing Sasuke to get one as well for his missing left hand. Sasuke just shook his head, saying that he was fine without it and that it was a small price to pay after everything he has done towards Naruto, Sakura, and everyone in the village.

Hinata closed her eyes then sighed, deciding to leave the three alone. She has work to do.

Ever since she started working, Hinata knew that Naruto and Sasuke were in the hospital, recovering from their injuries that they received during the war, since Sakura always talked about it during their lunch break. She just didn't know the room Naruto was in, and even if she did, she knows that she wouldn't be able to go in easily since Sasuke was there as well. Even if she had the ability to check the list of patients and rooms, she wouldn't want to do it since she came to the hospital to work, not to find out where her crush is staying at.

Hinata stopped for a moment and looked back at the room, before smiling as she continued her way towards the front desk. Seeing Naruto smiling and perfectly fine was enough for her. She was happy that finally, Naruto has accomplished his promise to Sakura to bring back Sasuke.

She knew that she could never be on the same level of importance as Sakura and Sasuke in Naruto's heart, but it was fine. She always knew that she would never be.

She always knew, but even if she did, it was still a little painful to know that fact.

* * *

Hinata stacked the papers on the desk, making sure that there were no folded edges on each one, before putting them on the side. She sat down after making sure that everything was organized, watching people come and go in front of her and shivering a bit each time the door opened. She counted the people that were sitting on the benches, waiting for their turn. The hospital has finally been able to take its time now. There are more people coming out than in.

She then grabbed the papers that she arranged a few hours before, scanning through them one by one. The papers were records of the patients who came and went, with reason of their visits. When she was done, she stood up and went to the file cabinet to place the record there. As she was about to close the cabinet, she spotted a name that was very familiar to her.

Her own name.

Her eyebrows raised a bit as she grabbed her own records, curious of what was written there. She glanced at the other nurse who was with her in the front desk, making sure that she wasn't looking before pulling out the file fully. She closed the cabinet gently and sat down, her eyes scanning around the paper, taking in everything. Her picture was there, as well as details about her height, weight, blood type, and birthday. She paused for a bit when she saw a certain date on her record, realizing that it was the time when she almost died from her cousin's hands.

Memories flooded her mind instantly as she started to recall that day. She could still remember ever word of Kiba's warning, urging her to forfeit when she gets matched up either with Neji or Gaara. She could still remember the fear that surged through her body, seeing her name up there on the screen, along with her cousin's. The grip on the paper tightened, crumpling it a bit, as she remembered how she _felt_ Neji's anger towards her, knowing that there was no turning back when she stood in front of her cousin, accepting the match. She knew that she was no match against Neji, a person that is considered as a genius and a prodigy, but wanted to show off. She wanted to show that she would not give up; wanting to make amends to him, even if she knew deep inside that it was futile.

She closed her folder and sighed as she placed it on her desk. Hinata didn't really harbor a grudge against her cousin, fully understanding Neji's reason for his anger towards her. However, there was a short time when she was afraid to approach him, or even look at him at all; the events of the exam always replaying in her mind whenever she sees him. The training sessions with Neji always made her paranoid, afraid that he might kill her here and then, even if she knew that Neji had changed.

Hinata really can't blame her cousin for her fear. Her stubbornness was the reason why she almost got killed by him. If she didn't accept the fight, maybe this wouldn't have happened.

As she placed her file back to its proper place, she pulled out two more – Kiba and Shino's files.

One of Shino's injuries is labeled as 'poisoned', and the date was when the finals of the Chuunin exam was held. Shino mentioned this once, maybe twice, saying that he was chasing after Kankuro who he wished to fight, as he couldn't accept the latter forfeiting suddenly. Both Kiba and Hinata could not remember that this had happened since they were both unconscious at that time.

Shino has always been that kind of person, one that would not accept a win unless he knows that he really earned it. He had trained so much for one month, only to end up with his opponent forfeiting, without even stepping onto the battle ground.

Hinata flipped Shino's record again and again, finding it weird that it was only about one page, which was a lot less than hers. She looked every corner, back to back, making sure that she never missed a detail, and then realized that unlike her and Kiba who are close-ranged fighters, Shino was long-ranged. He preferred to keep distance from his enemy as he utilized his techniques, with physical attack being a last resort. Perhaps that was the reason why he didn't have to get admitted many times to the hospital.

She then moved onto Kiba's files next, the pages being a lot more than Hinata and Shino's. Inside his folder was another folder containing details about Akamaru. She flipped through the pages, noticing that he was already being admitted before he even graduated, until she got to the part where Kiba got severely injured when he and his team were trying to retrieve Sasuke. It was probably his worst injury he's had in his entire lifetime. He couldn't even get up from the bed, with small movements making him cringe in pain. The only thing he could do was lie down, watch Akamaru being tended by his sister, and blame himself for everything that has happened to his companion.

For months, Kiba had to walk alone while his friend was recuperating. Akamaru had ripped all four tendons of his feet, making him unable to walk or move. While Hinata and Shino would spar each other, Kiba would just sit and watch them, his mind definitely elsewhere even though his eyes followed their every movement. He refused to train, saying that it was useless for an Inuzuka to train without his dog as their techniques rely on partnership.

At that time, Hinata wondered for a bit about Kiba and Akamaru's future. If one of them dies, what would happen? Would they be assigned to a new partner? Or would they be alone for the rest of their life, unable to replace their trusted companion? The dogs are given to them when they are young, so that the two can grow together and form a relationship. It was not easy to just replace them instantly.

"Hey Hinata!"

She looked up from the folder and quickly put it on the side, along with Shino's, when she heard someone call out her name. She smiled at the voice and greeted back, knowing that it was Kiba who called out to her. It was always the same greeting he used whenever he had something to deliver to the hospital.

"I have three deliveries today," Kiba said, placing a box on the counter gently. "That's for the hospital itself," he said as he warned Hinata that there was a fragile item inside it. She nodded and gave the box to the other nurse, who immediately went out to put the box in the room for supplies.

"This one's for you," he said as he pulled out a package wrapped in cloth from his messenger bag and placed it in front of her. "It's from your dad."

"Father?" Hinata said, looking at him in disbelief. What could her father send to her at this time? Was it something that couldn't wait when she get s home?

"Yeah," he said, running a hand through his brown locks as he watched Hinata's hands unwrap the package. "I delivered something to your house a while ago. Your dad then asked me if I could deliver that to you since you forgot it."

Her eyes widened a bit when she finally removed the cloth, revealing a pink jacket different from her usual ones. She held it up, realizing that she indeed forgot about it when she headed out this morning.

"You shouldn't get out without a jacket when it's getting cold," he commented in a deep voice, a lot deeper than his normal one. "That's what your dad told me to tell you," he said, his voice back to normal.

Hinata giggled as she wore the jacket that her father had sent her, finding his imitation of her father kind of funny. She snuggled up to the warmth that the jacket gave her, especially her hands where the sleeves covered them fully.

"His voice isn't that deep."

"It's close enough."

He then placed another box on the counter, this time, a lot smaller than the first two. It was a small white box, wrapped in red ribbon, and a card on the side.

"This is for you as well," Kiba said as he fixed the hood of his black jacket that he replaced over his leather jacket momentarily, for the latter was not enough to keep him warm from the cold.

"From who?" Hinata asked, removing the card and putting it on the side before pulling the ribbon from the box.

"From me."

Inside the box was a slice of mango cheesecake, with a silver fork inside as well. The fruit that was on the cake surprised her, since mangoes were rarely seen in Konoha.

Even though the hospital had a dim lighting, the mangoes were glimmering under it. The jam were spilling down the cake, coating the smooth and white cheesecake with its pure sweetness. Hinata could partially smell the sweet aroma from the dessert, something that she thought was impossible from its kind. It was a simple dessert, but it was really beautiful to look at.

"It's from a new cake shop that opened days ago," Kiba said, his eyes focused on Hinata, as he leaned onto the counter.

"There's a new shop?"

Kiba chuckled a bit before continuing. "I knew that you didn't know about it, so I took the time to get one for you. That one's their best seller," he said, pointing at the slice of cake. "Try it now."

"Not here," Hinata whispered loudly to him, looking around her surroundings, realizing that some people were looking at the both of them, interested in the dessert as well. After asking Kiba if he had some free time and asking permission from her co-worker, they both went outside and took a seat on one of the benches there.

* * *

Hinata set the box on her lap and after being comfortable with her position, she picked up the fork that came with the dessert. She licked her lips as the fork went in smoothly, slicing a small part of the cake, and put it in her mouth, not minding that Kiba was watching her intently. She was overwhelmed as the cake melted in her mouth, the sweetness of the mangoes and the slight saltiness of the cheesecake dancing perfectly inside. She couldn't help but smile from ear to ear and touch her cheek as she savored its taste.

"You like it," he said, more of a statement than a question. He knew, just from Hinata's reaction that the girl really loved it.

Hinata nodded as she took another bite, enjoying every bits of taste that resided in her mouth. She offered some to Kiba, but the boy refused, saying that he already had a taste of it before. After asking Kiba two more times, making sure that he really did not want it, Hinata continued eating. Kiba shoved his hands in his pockets and watched Hinata finish the cake, happy that she enjoyed his gift.

Kiba giving gifts to her out of nowhere was not something new to her. Ever since they were young, both Kiba and Shino would give Hinata gifts, usually flowers that they picked up from their adventures, knowing that her hobby was pressing them. Shino would bring her flowers that were rare, while Kiba gave her common ones, and sometimes, weeds, since he didn't have any knowledge about flowers or plants in general. Nevertheless, she would still press them.

Kiba eventually started to give her other things beside flowers, such as a book that would help her with her hobby, which she still uses and treasures to this day. He also gives her various kinds of food, just as today, using his nose to scout out new things to eat and share it to his team.

"Your dad's right. It really is getting colder…" Kiba said as Hinata removed the box from her lap and put it beside her. His breaths came out as puffs of smoke, and she noticed that his cheeks were slightly tinged pink, probably from the cold.

"Do you know how freezing it is to run around, the cold wind blowing into your face?" He pulled out his hands from his pockets and put them onto his cheeks. "I can't even feel my own face anymore," he said, running his hand through his hair. "I really should cut this," he muttered to himself, clicking his tongue in annoyance when his fringe poked his eye.

"I think it looks okay," she said, looking at him. "It looks good on you."

"Yeah, but, it's just _really_ annoying." He tried to put his fringe behind his ears to no avail. "I guess I'll just try to get used to it. Anyway, what was I talking about?"

"Something about not feeling your face anymore."

"Yeah, okay, so not only does my face feel ice cold, but my hands are as well," he said, looking at his hands as he closed and opened them multiple times. Akamaru barked something to Kiba which made him irritated all of a sudden.

"What did he say?" Hinata asked.

"He's bragging about his fur."

Kiba continued talking about other things that he has heard or seen while he did his job. It was one of the things he likes about being a messenger, since he would be able to listen in on many gossips around the village. He mentioned that he saw Temari in the village, and that she was seen walking with Shikamaru, like always. He also mentioned about Kakashi being chosen to be the next Hokage. Tsunade has agreed with the decision but said that she would give up the position after she has completely restored the village, not wanting to dump everything onto Kakashi's shoulders.

Hinata watched Kiba blow hot air onto his hands from time to time, and rubbing them, as he babbled on. She smiled to herself before she took Kiba's hands into hers.

"Here, I'll warm them up for you," she suddenly said, cutting him off. She wrapped her hands around them, transferring her heat as she gently caressed it with her fingers. Kiba wasn't kidding when he said that his hands were feeling cold.

Kiba's hands were really what you'd expect from him – rough, hard, and full of scars. There were bite marks everywhere, and she was sure that all of them were not from Akamaru. She has seen Kiba bite his own hand multiple times to calm himself down to know that some of the bite marks were self-inflicted. There were calluses on certain parts of his fingers as well; no doubt he got it whenever he holds his kunai.

His naturally tan hands contrasted her milky white ones and the size was a lot bigger than hers. Whenever she lays her hands on top of Kiba's, she would realize how small her hands are compared to his. She noticed that his hands were getting a little sweaty, and judging by Kiba's movements, she thinks that he noticed as well and was obviously uncomfortable with it.

"Hinata," he said, taking back his hands from her quickly and standing up, grabbing his bag from the floor, "I need to go." She noticed that he was subtly wiping his hands on either his jacket or pants.

"Oh," she said, sounding surprised and a little disappointed at the same time. She forgot that Kiba still had work, and so did she. "Good luck then."

"Yeah, you too. See you later after work," he said, riding on Akamaru and went on his way. Hinata watched him take a turn in a corner and disappear from her sight, before going back inside the hospital to resume her job.

When Kiba left, she could feel the world becoming a bit dull as she went back inside the hospital. It was as if all the colors around her had disappeared, not helping with the fact that the hospital's lighting is dim and every corner is painted white. She really enjoyed being with Kiba, even if it's a short while. Even if they talked nonsense, it was fine, because he was giving life to everything around her. He made her laugh, happy, angry, cry, and every emotion that a human could make.

When she sat down in front of her desk, she noticed a card there, recognizing it as the same card that was on the box that contained the cake. She realized that she never took the time to open and read what was written on it, if there _was_ something written inside.

When she opened it, there were three words written in a messy handwriting.

"Do your best!"

It was only those three words. There was a small drawing of a dog in the corner as well. It was not a good drawing, it was horrible, but it was recognizable enough to be a dog. Her lips quickly turned to a smile as she placed the card in her pocket, reminding herself to place it inside one of her books as a sort of bookmark when she gets home.

* * *

It has been ages since Hinata and her team had been assigned a mission. Although their last mission was probably a month ago, being assigned to locate bodies, it was not really their mission as Team 8. Hinata and Shino just volunteered, while Kiba and his clan were specifically requested, and they weren't together most of the time, being forced to separate to fasten the process.

As she looked at Kiba and Shino's backs in front of her as they jumped from tree to tree, the two of them talking about something quite serious based on Kiba's facial expressions, she realized that she really missed doing jobs with the two of them. It was a simple mission, just escort the Land of Water people back to their home and come back. Tsunade warned them that they should not let their guard down even if there is an alliance between the villages right now; warning them of terrorists, but all three of them ensured her to not worry for they are trackers.

"I said I don't know! Will you stop asking me that!?" Kiba shouted in exasperation.

"You cannot stay like that, Kiba. You have to know what to do after this."

"Will you just shut up!?"

"You said that you are going to be Hokage."

"Yeah, but we all know that's not gonna happen!"

"So what do you plan to do, knowing that you cannot achieve your dream?"

Hinata heard Akamaru whine a bit, not sure if Kiba'a grip on his fur was hurting him or if he was just worried about Kiba's temper. The boy was obviously getting annoyed of Shino, and judging by him gritting his teeth, his pupils constricting, Hinata was sure that he would lash out at Shino at any moment.

Hinata was about to speak to try and calm Kiba down when she saw him sigh loudly, his body not tense anymore.

"I just… I don't know what to do. I'm lost, okay? There. I admit it," Kiba said, his eyes returning to its normal state and focused on the road in front of them, not wanting to look at Shino any longer.

The three of them stayed quiet like that for a moment, letting the awkward silence take over them for a while. It had been Kiba's dream ever since he was a child to be the next Hokage, and it was not easy for him to admit that it was an unreachable dream. The boy knew in his heart that the next Hokage after Kakashi would be Naruto, especially after the war. No one would be able to resist electing the savior of the world as the next Hokage. Kiba was suddenly left without a goal to pursue.

Shino suddenly stopped in his tracks, which made Hinata stop as well. She worriedly glanced at Shino, wondering what Shino was thinking in his head. After a few seconds, Kiba stopped as well, noticing that his team was not following him anymore.

"What the hell? Why did you guys stop?" Kiba said, as they jumped back towards Hinata and Shino. "Come on. We're almost to Konoha. Let's just go." He was starting to get uncomfortable with the way Shino was looking at him.

"Are you interested in becoming an ANBU?" Shino asked. After Kiba gave him a confused look, Shino continued. "Anyway, the ANBU asked me personally if I was interested in joining them. I haven't agreed yet, but I have been thinking about it. They also mentioned your name, saying that they were interested in taking in a tracker like you, after that ordeal with the bodies."

Kiba thought to himself for a moment. Being an ANBU wasn't that bad, though he has heard that the training and overall lifestyle was hard. Some of them even quit, preferring to be a simple Jonin who has more freedom instead of remaining as ANBU. He's not sure if he's fit to be one, considering that an ANBU needs to be stealthy, quiet, and secretive.

His thoughts wandered off, trying to envision himself ten years from now. He could definitely see Naruto there in the Hokage residence, but where would he be? He's definitely not the one wearing the Hokage's garbs, that's for sure, but if he decides to become ANBU, he could stand by Naruto's side, helping him, as Kages rely on ANBU a lot more than normal ninjas. For some reason, he was content with this. He may not be the next Hokage, but he could help the next Hokage in the future and become his right hand.

His thoughts were cut short when Kiba's body suddenly tensed up, detecting an unfamiliar scent approaching them fast. Kiba quickly told Shino and Hinata about their situation, and quickly stepped up, trying to distance themselves from the enemy.

"They're getting closer!" Kiba said to the both of them.

"Just keep moving," Shino said.

Suddenly, several smoke bombs were thrown at them. Although the bombs themselves missed them, the smoke quickly caught on, enveloping them and cutting off their sight, forcing themselves to stop in their tracks.

Hinata tried to cover her mouth and forced her eyes to open but couldn't do so. The smoke was too painful to her lungs, and her eyes were starting to tear up. She could hear Shino cough, as well as Kiba, but the latter was sounding a bit more painful than the former. When her nose started to feel painful as well, she finally realized that the smoke bomb had some strong, distasteful scent mixed in as well. The enemies knew that there was an Inuzuka in the team.

She could hear Kiba cussing loudly a lot of times in a muffled tone, along with Akamaru whining loudly, both of them obviously in pain. She then heard a loud rustle, and a thud, the voice of both Kiba and Akamaru gone in an instant. She forced her eyes to open to see what happened, only to see that Kiba and Akamaru were not in front of her anymore.

Her heartbeat started to get faster and faster, scared of what happened to their teammate. When the smoke cleared out, both Shino and Hinata started to look for Kiba and Akamaru, only to find them on the ground, rolled up, their nose still in pain

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata called out to him as she jumped down, worried of his state, with Shino following suit. Not only was his nose painful, he also fell from a great height. While Shino spread out his insects, trying to find their enemy, Hinata was examining Kiba's body, trying to see if he didn't break any bones or something from the fall.

"There's... five of them," Kiba managed to utter to them, remembering all the scents that he took in before they got attacked.

She heard someone scream from a distance, realizing that Shino got one of the enemies; however, she knew that it was too early to pronounce their victory, for there were still four of them left. Hinata pursed her lips as she prepared her Byakugan to locate them, but before she could even activate it, Shino dived into her and forced her to duck by holding her head down. The kunai barely missed her as it hit the tree behind them.

Their team was in disarray. Kiba and Akamaru were down, unable to give specific information about their enemy; Hinata was shocked with the events happening one after another in quick succession, while Shino was trying to calm himself down as he dealt with the enemies as fast as possible, no plan whatsoever. All of them internally blamed themselves for causing the trouble.

Another scream came out, as Shino's insects devoured their victim with no mercy.

"Are you okay, Hinata?" Shino asked as he rose up, letting her head go, knowing that they didn't have the time to feel sorry for themselves right now. Hinata nodded at Shino, but her eyes quickly widened when her eyes focused on the kunai that missed them. The kunai had an explosive tag tied to it, and was already going to explode any seconds from now.

"We need to run!" Kiba screamed, snapping Shino and Hinata out from their shock, as he forced himself to ignore the pain in his nose and stand, pushing Hinata forward and helping Akamaru up.

Hinata could barely remember what happened after that. Everything went by so fast in a matter of seconds. The tag exploded, surrounding all of them in a fire in an instant. Everything around her was red and her skin was burning as the fire engulfed them. Her senses shut off one by one, unable to take everything all at once. She got thrown far away and hit her head on a tree, and it was only a few seconds before she slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

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	5. Aftermath

**Here's Chapter 5. Enjoy.**

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 **Okay. Let's go.**

* * *

Ever since Hinata got teamed up with Kiba, they have only fought once. Not the kind of fight where they hit each other, trying to see who will go down first, but the kind of fight where they argued, trying to see who would bend down first. Both of them have met with disagreements a couple of times, having different opinions regarding some matters, but they only have fought once, and only once. Hinata could barely even remember what they even argued about. All she could remember was that it had something with what she said to Kiba when he was having a bad day after arguing with his mother at home.

Oh, wait, she remembers now. She said that Kiba should respect his mother, and Kiba retorted, saying that she should not interfere in his business when she did not even know what he and his mother argued about. It was the first time that she had talked back harshly at the boy, calling him immature and disrespectful, and the way Kiba was just encouraging her to say more about what she really thought about him, just got on her nerves even more. She could even recall Kurenai stepping in between them when they started to hit each other.

It was the first time Hinata got so mad at someone other than herself, and looking back to it, she really did not know why. Was it the way Kiba spoke to her, making her feel insignificant? Was it because she was quickly shot down when she was just trying to help? Was it just a pent up frustration exploding in an instant?

Kiba had refused to come to practices and training after that for two days. Shino, who visited Kiba to check on him, said that Kiba does not want to see Hinata at all. He didn't want to pretend that he was okay and pretend that their scuffle never happened. He wanted his anger to subdue first before meeting with her again.

When he came to their training grounds after two days of absence, he immediately apologized to her, saying that he should not have let his anger get to him that easily. She apologized as well for not noticing his mood, as well as calling him names, saying that she never meant them seriously. Kiba was fine with it, so he says, since at least he knows what Hinata's honest opinion about him was now and how Hinata reacts when she gets riled up.

Both of them had become more mindful of each other after that, and never argued as bad as that day ever again.

The record has been broken however after Pain's invasion of Konoha. When Kiba and Shino asked if they could talk to her for a minute, the former looking stern while the latter had an unreadable expression, she knew that they have found out what she did. It was not like she was planning to hide it from them. There would come a time when they would eventually learn about it, but she did not expect that to be now.

She tried her best to explain the reason of her decision to protect Naruto at the cost of her life. She just wanted to help him after seeing him pinned down the ground by those rods. She defended her decision, saying that her life that she sacrificed would not mean a thing compared to the thousands of lives that Naruto could save. Mentioning that however, she then realized a few seconds late, was a mistake.

The brunette immediately got mad as soon as she was done with her reasoning. He couldn't believe that Hinata could throw away her life easily as that. He can't accept the fact that Hinata would describe her life as useless and expendable.

Hinata couldn't really understand why the boy was getting mad at her. Ninjas are going to die anyway, right? People, in general, are going to die someday, so why not throw away your life for something that could help? It was not like she committed suicide; it was a _sacrifice_. She knew what she was going to get, acknowledging the fact that her efforts might be useless, but it was good enough to stall for time. She was able to say what she wanted to say to Naruto before she got killed, not expecting that she would get revived, so what was the problem?

"Kiba-kun…" she quietly said as she got closer to the boy who was trying to calm himself down. When she touched his arm however, he quickly swatted it away.

"Don't touch me," Kiba growled, his eyes looking fiercer than ever. He clicked his tongue loudly and walked out, leaving Shino and Hinata there. The two of them did not call out to him, or forced him to come back, knowing that it was futile.

It was then that Shino finally spoke up, after letting Kiba talk whatever it was in his mind at first. His words were definitely nicer than Kiba's, though there was still a hint of anger in his tone. Shino perfectly understood what drove Hinata to do what she did, but he also understood where Kiba's anger was coming from. He mentioned that Hinata was lucky that she got revived, not wanting to think about what could have happened if she didn't.

A day passed after their encounter, and Hinata knew that Kiba was trying to avoid her. They passed by each other, but no greetings were exchanged. He never met her eyes, never looked her way, never smiled, and never acknowledged her presence. He was flat-out ignoring her as much as he can. She brushed it off at first, remembering their first argument, thinking that it would soon pass.

However, after the fourth day, Hinata started to get worried. There was no hint that Kiba had an intention to talk to her again. Their friends had eventually started to notice the distance between Hinata and Kiba, and even asked if there was something wrong. Seeing them so distant, pretending that they never knew each other, was odd.

By the end of the week, they still haven't interacted with each other, and Hinata had wondered if it was the end of their friendship. She couldn't take it anymore, and started forming sentences in her mind, trying to create the perfect apology she would say to Kiba. It was hard, to be honest, since she really did not know what she was apologizing for. As soon as she had constructed the apology, she went to Kiba's home.

Kiba's sister, Hana, had opened the door that night, wondering what Hinata was doing in their place in a time like this. Hinata immediately asked for Kiba, her eyes glued onto Akamaru who she could see from where she was standing. She knew by the dog's presence that Kiba was in the house since the two were inseparable, which was why Hinata was surprised when she heard Hana say that Kiba was not home. She even activated her Byakugan immediately after Hana closed the door, just to see if Kiba's sister wasn't lying to her.

Hinata didn't know what to do after that, and after some mulling, she decided to just wait for Kiba in their gates. There was a possibility for him to even avoid her there, by jumping on roofs and landing in front of their door, completely bypassing her, but Hinata did not care. She didn't care if Hana could still smell her presence in their residence. She didn't care that it was almost midnight and that it might get her in trouble. She didn't care that she was looking stupid right now.

She just wanted to see Kiba. She needed to see him.

"What are you doing here?"

Imagine her surprise when she saw Kiba there, with a bewildered look on his face. There was no hint of malice or anger in his tone, only confusion and hesitation. The apology Hinata had constructed in her mind for hours immediately disappeared, and she started to panic. She suddenly couldn't recall why she was here, questioning what she was trying to achieve by going here in his place.

"I-I'm sorry!" she blurted out. She couldn't remember the last time she had stuttered when speaking with Kiba. The distance between them must have affected her a bit.

"What?"

"Sorry for… everything. I… I shouldn't have said something like that. My mind was just too preoccupied with helping Naruto at that time that I completely forgot about the people that would get devastated once they learn about what I did," Hinata said, letting her mind just speak whatever it wanted to. "It was a selfish thing to do…"

After she had said her half-assed apology, something far-off from what she had in her mind a few minutes ago, Hinata immediately looked down in shame. The awkward silence between them was not helping the situation at all. She rubbed her arm, taking quick glances at Kiba, who was awfully quiet after she had spoken. Her eyes widened a bit when she saw that his eyes had softened as he looked up from the ground.

The boy sighed quietly, rubbing the back of his neck – a habit that comes up whenever he feels uncomfortable or nervous. "It's me who should apologize, Hinata," Kiba said, as he took his position beside her, leaning onto the walls of their gate. "I've thought about what you said these past few days and, well… I kind of understand where you're coming from."

"Why is that?"

"Because I…" he trailed off, recalling a memory from the past. His hand unconsciously went to his lower right abdomen.

 _"Let's die together."_

"I almost did the same thing before as well."

* * *

The first thing Hinata saw when she opened her eyes was the color white. No, it could be a slight shade of gray, or maybe it's cream? She really did not know.

The first thing she heard when she woke up was the two voices; a woman whose voice was dignified, and a man who had a soft but firm voice, mumbling near her. She could identify the woman as Tsunade, but the other, she couldn't quite place who it was, though it sounded very familiar. Her vision was too blurry to figure out who the other person was.

The first thing Hinata felt when she gained consciousness was pain. Her whole body felt painful and stiff, especially around her legs. She could feel the bandages wrapped around her body, the blanket that covered her, the soft mattress under her, and exhaustion, even though she, in her mind, knew that she had been sleeping for a long time now.

The first thing Hinata thought when she woke up was where she was, and why she even had a dream about something that happened a long time ago. The last thing on her mind before she went back to sleep was where Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino were.

* * *

"Hinata? Can you hear me?"

Sakura watched Hinata's eyes open slowly, her white orbs staring blankly at the ceiling above them. She started to smile, her eyes welling up a bit with tears, when Hinata let out a groan and looked at Sakura, looking clueless at what was happening.

"Hinata?" Sakura called out to her again, her fists clenching hard in anxiety, waiting for Hinata to respond to her. When Hinata closed her eyes and nodded weakly, Sakura's smile became wider, her worries of Hinata being deaf gone in an instant. She then excused herself for a moment, going off to fetch Tsunade and inform of Hinata's awakening. After a few minutes, she came back, her master behind her heels.

"I'm glad that you're okay, Hinata," Tsunade said as she put her hand on Hinata's forehead, checking if she had any signs of fever, glad to find none. She then went on to check Hinata's pulse, her eyes, mouth, and just about everything to make sure that the girl was perfectly fine. When she saw Hinata trying to speak, she immediately asked Sakura to fetch some water for the girl.

"If you're asking for Shino and Kiba, they're here in the same room as you." Tsunade assumed that the girl was asking where her teammates were. She helped Hinata sit up from her position and handed Hinata the glass of water. The two of them suddenly directed their eyes at Akamaru whose bark echoed throughout the room. "Akamaru's here too," Tsunade quickly added with a smile.

Hinata was examining Akamaru, his soft white fur was lost in some parts of his body. His legs were wrapped in bandages as well, just as hers. Despite its injuries and burns, Akamaru was still looking as happy-go-lucky as always, as if he didn't get hurt from the explosion at all.

Her eyes then went past Akamaru and focused on the person on the bed across her. There sat Shino, his body covered in bandages as opposed to his usual jacket, his sunglasses still sitting on the bridge of his nose. There were burns and grazes here and there on his face, nothing major. If it wasn't for Shino's shoulders going up and down, indicating that he was breathing, Hinata would think that he was paralyzed or something.

"Shino's trying to speed up the reproduction of the insects inside his body, that's why he's like that. He lost a lot of them when they protected him from the explosion," Tsunade explained. "Kiba's bed is beside yours."

Indeed he was, and there, on his bed, Kiba was sleeping. His body was wrapped in bandages as well, from his torso up to his hands, and he was lying on his stomach rather than on his back. Hinata could see that a bit of Kiba's hair has been singed on the ends.

"Is he okay?" Hinata asked, still looking at Kiba, wondering why he preferred to lie down like that.

Tsunade nodded. "His back is burned, that's why he's sleeping like that."

Hinata's mind started to recall bits and pieces of what happened in the explosion before she lost consciousness. She could remember that she got thrown away, hitting a tree in the process, hence the bandage on her head. Going back even more, she could recall someone pushing her – shoving her – to run faster and farther. Loud barks came after, and hundreds of buzzing sounds approaching them, lots of shouting, some screaming, the twigs and leaves crunching under their feet, arms wrapping around her, and then the flames came, enveloping them quickly.

"Gaara came by a few hours ago, trying to check if you were all okay. Apparently, those who attacked you were from the Sand," Tsunade said, recalling her talk with the Kazekage a while back. "He apologized for the trouble that his villagers has caused, and wanted to reassure you that he took care of the problem already."

As much as Hinata wanted to listen and focus on what Tsunade was talking about, she couldn't help to let her mind focus on other more important things. Her eyes were on Kiba, staring at the red patches on the bandages that seemed to have seeped out from his wounds. The dream she had about their last argument, the wounds Kiba has on his back, the minimal damage she got on her body (except for her legs), the arms wrapping around her, protecting her from the oncoming explosion….

Only one question hanged in her mind, as she watched Kiba sleep from a distance.

 _Did he…?_

* * *

Hinata opened her eyes, waking up for a third time in one day. The room was not enveloped in darkness, with the only light source coming from the moon that could be perfectly seen from their window. She tried to sit up, noticing that Shino, who sat all day, was now sleeping, his blanket covering up to his mouth.

Hinata cringed a bit when she put pressure on her hands, forgetting that there were burns on them as well. It took a few minutes for her to sit up properly, and she couldn't believe that it took so much energy from her for one simple action. However, that wasn't enough to stop her from what she was about to do.

She dangled her feet onto the edge of the bed, preparing to stand up. As soon as her feet touched the cold, hard floor, she felt a tremendous pain run up through her body. Tsunade warned her that if she wanted something, she should ask for someone since it was not recommended for Hinata to walk due to her burns on her legs and feet.

Biting her lips hard, as she tried to endure the pain, she took another step. It was painful, it was torturous, but she didn't care. She needed to get to his side. She had to get beside him – just like how he always stayed beside her when she gets confined to a hospital.

Never has Hinata woken up with no one beside her in the hospital. As soon as she wakes up, she would hear Kiba's cheery voice, glad that she had finally opened her eyes after so long. Shino and Kurenai are there too, but it was Kiba who she would see and hear first. Even after the Chuunin exam, when Kiba himself got confined after getting beaten up pretty badly by Naruto, he neglected the doctor's orders and went to Hinata's room, waiting patiently for her to wake up.

She could still remember how happy he was that she was fine after what she went through from fighting her cousin. Hinata had expected him to get mad at her for not heeding his warning, and though she received some sort of scolding, it was not driven by anger. Kiba seemed to have known that even if he urged her to forfeit, she would never do so, especially in the presence of Naruto.

Hinata suddenly fell out of balance, and shut her eyes immediately, waiting for the impact, only to land in a soft plop.

"Akamaru-kun…" she whispered to the dog that caught her from the fall. Akamaru then helped Hinata go to Kiba's side, and went back to where he was sleeping – the floor near Shino's bed. After being protected by the Aburame by including him in his shield made out of bugs, Akamaru felt thankful to the boy, which was why he slept near Shino.

Akamaru watched Hinata take a seat and moved closer to his master's bed, before yawning and going back to sleep, feeling content.

Now that Hinata was closer to Kiba, she could see every wound he has garnered from the incident. There was a patch bandage on his right cheek, covering most of his red tattoo there; a cut near his eyebrows, and grazes on the chin and near the side of his mouth. She could see, just under Kiba's brown locks, that the back of his ear had a slight burn, something easy to hide if it ever scarred.

She tried to recall the dream she had, when she and Kiba had their last argument or disagreement. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that Kiba had done the same thing to her today, as she did towards Naruto. Kiba used himself as a shield to protect Hinata from the explosion, despite there being a possibility that he could lose his life if he did so.

"You're such a hypocrite…" she whispered, putting her arms on the bed and burying her head on it. "Did you know that?"

Hinata's lips quivered, her eyes starting to tear up, the memory of Kiba holding her in his arms before the fire ate them alive – a memory that used to be blurred and unsure – was now clear in her mind. She remembered how desperately he called out her name, how tight and forceful his grasp on her wrist was as he pulled her towards him, a behavior purely driven by instinct to protect.

She bit the inside of her lip, trying to control her emotions, preventing herself from breaking down, but she just couldn't do it. One second later and they would have lost each other. A few meters short, and they could have died. Kiba could have died from shielding her.

They're all alive and safe.

"Thank you…" she mouthed, her hand touching his.

* * *

 **Congratulations. You've reached the end. Here's your medal.**

 **I just want to note that Kiba's dialogue when he stabbed himself differed in the anime and manga. The subs say "Let's die together" while the dub says "Time for you to die." The English translation of the manga says "You're coming down with me." The subs (and the manga, I guess) are actually the closest to what Kiba had uttered in the Japanese version, which is why I went with that. I know this because I'm Japanese. Anyway...**

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 **Thank you, and see you next chapter~**


	6. A Pinch of Sadness

**Here's Chapter 6. Enjoy.**

 **Thank you so much for people who reviewed, followed, and favorited this story! I can't thank you guys enough. You guys are my everything.**

 **Okay. Let's go.**

* * *

The first time Shino felt fear was when he saw how Gaara killed those people in the Forest of Death during their first Chuunin exams. He couldn't believe how merciless a person can be to be able to do something so vicious and violent like that without flinching. When he and his team have realized that Gaara had somehow noticed their presence, he really thought that he was going to die at that moment.

One time, when he saw Kiba and Hinata together, under the tree, and just talking, he had felt a new kind of fear. A fear that was very different from that time in the Chuunin exams.

Shino knew the reason why he was afraid. He was afraid of being forgotten, like those times in the academy when almost everyone did not notice his presence. Due to this, Shino spent most of his life being alone and solitary.

It was like there's a curse on the Aburame clan – forever to be forgotten or unnoticed. Not that he was bothered by it. Well, maybe a _little_ bit, but he was already used to it.

Don't get him wrong. He was happy seeing Kiba and Hinata being, well, happy. The two were not only his teammates, but his friends as well. He treasures every moment that he had shared with them, all the time he spent and wasted being together with them. He appreciated whenever the two come to him for help. He appreciated whenever Kiba talks about his problems, or if Hinata actually listens to his suggestions. He appreciated whenever they invite him to do something together.

He was finally being included in something, and he was happy with it. Shino has finally found people that would never forget him, not only because of their heightened senses and bloodlines, but because they have formed a relationship with him.

However, spending a lot of time with his teammates had made him become attached to them. Perhaps, he may have become _too_ attached.

Even though Shino was happy and content of what he had, seeing Kiba and Hinata so happy with each other without him, opened up his fear of being forgotten again. He started to wonder if there would come a time that the three of them would just… stop being together – that they would stop being _Team 8._ If they have reached adulthood, they would choose their own paths to take, and thus lose time to spend with each other. Would that seriously come between what they have formed?

Of course, once Kiba and Hinata saw that Shino was watching them, they invited him to join their conversation, and his fears quickly subsided after that. It was short-lived, but it somehow made him wonder a lot of things.

That fear came back once again when Shino woke up today and saw Hinata sleeping near Kiba's bed in the hospital. Hinata had her head buried into her arms, her shoulders rising up and down in a slow rhythm. Kiba, on the other hand, was awake but remained lying down on his front, his hand on Hinata's head as he caressed her hair. Shino didn't know if Kiba noticed that he was awake but just chose to ignore it.

The scene in front of Shino right now stirred up some mixed emotions from him. For one, he was happy. He was happy for Kiba especially. Shino knew that the Inuzuka harbored some feelings for the Hyuuga even if he was never told directly about it. It was something that Kiba did not tell him at all, no matter how much they share about their life. He didn't _need_ to anyway because Shino saw it right in front of his very eyes: They were fourteen, just became a Chuunin, and they were, as always, training. Hinata, whose hair got longer that it had reached her shoulders, was trying develop a new technique, while Kiba and Shino observed her, trying to identify if there was something she can improve on.

Usually, at those times, Shino and Kiba would talk a lot, sharing each other's opinion, but on that day, Kiba was unusually quiet. Once Shino took a glance at Kiba to see what was going on, he saw that Kiba's look towards Hinata was different. His usual grin and proud gaze as he watched Hinata do her best had been replaced by a solemn look, with a hint of desire in his eyes.

He didn't know when it started, but he knew that Kiba had started to see Hinata more than just a friend and a teammate. However, the look he gave, the sadness that Shino could feel from him, made the Aburame think that Kiba had already given up before he could even start. And how could he blame him? It was common knowledge in their team that Hinata liked Naruto. Kiba had chosen to _instantly_ give up the moment he realized his feeling for the Hyuuga, knowing that it was a losing battle.

Shino still wonders how Kiba had managed to go so far after that. Shino knew that Kiba's feelings had not disappeared at all, and in fact, they probably got even stronger. It just became harder to spot as time passed. Shino did not know how Kiba was able to hide it so perfectly. He did not know how Kiba was able to tolerate it; how he could still tease Hinata for her crush and how he could cheer her on to get together with Naruto. If it wasn't for that _one_ time when he saw how Kiba looked at Hinata, Shino would never even know that Kiba had fallen for the girl.

It was one of the things that he admired Kiba of, but at the same time, pitied him for it.

The second reason for his mixed feeling was because of something that could _possibly_ happen in the future – if lucky.

Shino's eyes glanced up at Kiba and Hinata again. The brunette's hand was lying near Hinata's head, tangled up in her hair. By the looks of it, Kiba had probably gone back to sleep.

If the two of them did end up together… what would happen to him?

Would he be forgotten again like when they were at the academy? Would they always push him to the side because they are too busy spending time with each other? Would he feel out of place? Would nothing change? Would _everything_ change? He was not opposed to them getting together. After all, everyone deserves happiness at some point, but he couldn't help but wonder. He trusted them both after all the things they went through, but he couldn't help but to worry.

Shino just did not want to go back to the way it was before – alone and solitary.

* * *

 _"Good luck. He's pretty stubborn and hard-headed,"_ the mother said, referring to her son, unaware – or perhaps, very aware considering her senses but just didn't care – that said son was listening onto them, his head down low, his mouth in a frown.

 _"I have no intention of training her anymore. I'll leave her in your care,"_ the strict father said, unaware that her daughter was just behind the door and trying to stop her tears from falling, for if she did, she would confirm her father's opinion about her.

 _"He has a bright future ahead of him. I trust that you train him well,"_ the father said, placing his hand on his son's shoulder, not noticing the slight twitch in his son's eyebrows, perhaps from the pressure to become the future head of the clan.

These were the things Kurenai had heard when she visited her students' homes. She just wanted to see how they lived, and meet their parents to introduce herself as their teacher. She had always thought that it would be a breeze – say hello, introduce yourself, discuss about how you plan to train your students, shake hands, the end. However, what she experienced was far from what she had expected.

When she first saw her three students, sitting on the table as they waited for her to pick them up in the Academy, she knew that they would never disappoint her. These three were in a special team, a team focused on tracking, and that says a lot. That means that the higher ups have recognized their ability.

They had started with a rough start, like any other team would. Hinata was too shy to speak, Shino was too quiet because he just wanted to be, and Kiba was too proud. She tested their teamwork, made them fight her, and though they did it individually at first, it took them a minute to decide that they needed to work together. They still didn't succeed in beating her, but she saw potential in all of them and the team as a whole. The teamwork was still rough around the edges, but with a couple more practices, it would become perfect.

If only their family would think the same as well like her.

Kurenai already knew what Hiashi would say about his daughter, but what she did not expect was Kiba and Shino's. Kiba's mother spoke very harshly about her son, saying that he was not really capable of being a ninja since he always plays around, acting like a fool. She didn't know how Tsume could talk about her own son like that and wondered if it was an Inuzuka thing.

While Kurenai agreed that Kiba had a sort of playfulness in him, she would never deem him as irresponsible. The boy always went to their practices and training, only missing them when he has an errand to do, and usually, he would ask permission from her, asking if she could excuse him from training. She would also never think of him as incapable. Kiba might be not as intelligent as Shino and Sasuke, but he was smart. Perhaps, street smart is the correct term for it, and it's something that Kurenai considers as very useful. He was reliable as well, leading the team when they are outside the village, knowing that it was his duty to not let them fall into traps.

Shino's father on the other hand, while his words were definitely nicer than Hinata and Kiba's parents, they were very heavy. Not to her, but to his son. Kurenai couldn't believe how much pressure was on Shino with just those short sentences. It must be hard to be the son of someone who is considered as the pride of the clan.

While Shino does try his best to become what he was supposed to be in the future – the head of the Aburame clan – Kurenai sometimes sees that Shino just wants to be, well, _Shino_. Not the son of Shibi Aburame, the pride and glory of the clan, but Shino Aburame, a kid who just likes bugs. Kurenai liked seeing Shino just stand around in the middle of the field, waiting for bugs to land on his hand, knowing that it relaxes the boy. It makes him forget everything. She liked seeing him being happy in his small, simple world.

After the encounter with their parents, her view on them had changed a lot. Kiba's smiles felt different and Shino's solitude gave off a new meaning. Adding Hinata's shyness with them would make you think that it's a recipe for disaster, but the three have found a way to create a perfect mixture for comfort. They all felt accepted for who they are.

However, there were times when they would just become problematic, bringing their family problems into the team. Kurenai could remember when she saw Kiba and Hinata fighting in the field. At first, she thought that they just went ahead and practiced together, but after seeing Kiba bite Hinata's arm, while Hinata was trying to beat Kiba's shoulders until it dislocated, she knew that it wasn't that at all. They were fighting not as ninjas, but as normal people.

" _I'm just… trying to help!"_

" _Shut the hell up Hinata! You don't know anything!"_

It took a lot to separate the both of them from each other. Hinata had garnered a lot of scratches, while Kiba's nose was bleeding as he fixed his shoulder before storming off. Kurenai had always thought that it was just a simple argument between a boy and a girl, but it really wasn't. It wasn't that at all.

It turns out that on that day, Kiba and Tsume had argued to the point that she slapped her son, not appreciating the way Kiba had talked back. Hana had apologized to Kurenai and Hinata that day on their behalf, since their mother was gone on a mission while Kiba locked himself up in his room. She mentioned that while Kiba and Tsume fought a lot, it had never gotten physical until today, which was probably why Kiba was shocked when his mother had hit him.

Kurenai wondered if that was really the only explanation she would get. What did they fight about? As the teacher, she wanted to know the full details. She wanted to know what made her student act like that. It was odd for Kiba to get pissed like that just for getting hit. It was odd for Hinata as well to fight back like that. There must have been a reason, and that reason lies in what happened inside their homes.

It wasn't only that. Hinata would sometimes not go to the practice, for some reason. Shino would sometimes pick fights with Kiba and snaps at Hinata, being easily irritated. Kurenai could at least understand Kiba and Hinata, especially the former, because they are the emotional kind. When she saw how Shino would act sometimes however, she knew that she had to take action of some sort. They can't just bring in their problems in their duties. It's a big no-no in the world they live in. They would get easily distracted.

So she had all of them trapped in a genjutsu. It was harsh, it was torture, but she had to. She had to let them know that these problems should not get into their heads, especially if they are on a mission. Not only that, but it is a good time to train them to determine whether they are in a genjutsu or not. Trackers like them are susceptible to genjutsu, a technique that tricks your mind and senses, which was why she got picked as their teacher in the first place.

The first time she did this to her students, they were traumatized. Hinata had cried, Kiba had a distant look on his face, and Shino was not moving at all, except for his trembling hands that he hid in his pockets. She really couldn't blame them; after all, their genjutsu was specifically tailored to each one of them. They were made out of their fear – their inner fear. They did not even talk about it, not even shared any info about what they saw or what they experienced.

Kurenai saw everything, however, and it somehow made her regret her actions. She saw how desperately Kiba cried out in the illusion, calling out to Akamaru and another person as they ran off, disappearing forever. She saw how Hinata cried to death, while the whole clan as well as her teammates looked at her in disappointment. She saw how Shino was alone in a dark void, with no one to talk to; not even his bugs were there. She had at least expected Shino to dispel the illusion, knowing his bugs are not affected by it, but he didn't. They all didn't.

Different illusions, but all had the same meaning – they were afraid of being left behind.

She really did not expect to see these things. She was expecting like wars, blood, corpses, and death. Kurenai didn't know that her students had carried these kinds of issues within their hearts. They hid them to not inconvenience each other, especially Shino and Kiba. These two would not talk to Hinata about their problems, knowing that the girl already has problems of her own. Even if they did, the stories were either short or vague.

Kurenai was very happy when one of her students would talk to her privately about some problems. Since she was an adult, they believed that she would know what to do.

She eventually learned that she was not only their teacher, but she was like their second mother as well.

When Asuma had died, Kurenai had suddenly lost contact with her students. Not because the three of them did not visit her, but because she was too depressed to even open the door for them. She felt so lost, not knowing what to do after the sudden death of her lover.

Kiba, Hinata, and Shino did not force their teacher to see them. They just visited every time, staying in front of the door, asking if she was okay, longing for the day that she would open it for them. It took time, but she eventually did, and she was glad that she did. Shikamaru was helpful, but she felt true happiness when she saw her students again.

After seeing them again for so long, Kurenai had finally noticed how her students have grown and matured throughout the years. Shino and Kiba were taller than her now, and while Hinata was still shorter than her, she had grown into a beautiful woman. Shino was becoming friendly in his own way, Hinata did not stutter anymore, and Kiba, though still the loudest, was calmer now.

Has it been so many years since they first met them in the academy? Has it been that long already? Nevertheless, no matter how long it takes, one thing would never change. That she would always be proud of her students. Even if she had Mirai right now, she still considers the three as her own.

But were they proud of her as their teacher? It was something that was on her mind ever since Asuma's death. She had been on leave for so long, not even taking the time to train them anymore. She couldn't accompany them on mission as well. She knows that she had already done what she could, and that they are fine on their own now, but is that really the case?

Kurenai pursed her lips as she held the doorknob to Kiba, Hinata, and Shino's room tight. When Kurenai heard of the explosion and that her team was involved, she immediately wanted to go to the hospital to check on them. However, she just couldn't bring Mirai to the hospital. She was so thankful that Ino had come by and insisted that she should go, while she would watch over Mirai.

She closed her eyes and sighed as she opened the door slowly. Kurenai was immediately met with smiles from her students, their eyes as bright as the sun, her worries gone in an instant.

"Kurenai-sensei!" all three of them said in unison.

She instantly smiled at the three of them as she showed the food she brought for them, much to their glee.

A lot of people call her "sensei" ever since she became a teacher, but only her students can make it sound so affectionate.

* * *

"Shino."

Shino looked up from the book that his father had brought for him when he visited a while ago. Kiba had somehow climbed up onto his bed without him noticing.

"I think I'm going to accept the offer."

Shino watched Kiba look down as soon as he finished with his sentence.

"Are you sure?" The Aburame said, marking the page where he stopped before putting the book aside. He glanced at the sleeping figure of Hinata, making sure that his voice was not loud enough to wake her up. "It's a tough life, Kiba."

Kiba smiled bitterly as he fiddled with his bandage. "I think it's a good challenge."

Shino's eyes went over to Hinata again. Kiba's eyes soon followed his gaze.

"I'm going to tell her tomorrow, if that's what you're thinking about," Kiba said.

"No, it's not that," Shino replied. He suddenly saw an image of Hinata waiting patiently at the village gates every single day inside his mind; how she would clasp her hands, closing her eyes, praying for her teammate to be safe on his mission. "She'll be worried."

"She'll understand."

Shino sighed, not really sure whether he was worried for Kiba or Hinata. He kind of regretted mentioning that the ANBU has been looking for Kiba, wanting to recruit him for his tracking skills. Not that it really matters since they're going to visit Kiba personally someday. He also regretted not being able to join Kiba, since his future as the clan head was more of a priority. He adjusted his sunglasses before looking back at the Inuzuka who was waiting patiently for his answer. The look on his eyes told Shino that the boy was serious about his decision.

"Do whatever you want."

"Alright," Kiba said, giving his friend a smile before going back to his bed to get some sleep. Despite the wording, Kiba knew that Shino meant well.

* * *

Shino and Hinata watched Sakura heal Kiba's back, her hands surrounded with chakra. They could see how some of Kiba's skin returned to normal, his burn scars disappearing as if nothing happened at all.

When Sakura was done, she wrapped some bandages on Kiba's torso, careful not to hurt him at all. The Inuzuka still had a lot of burns to treat compared to both of his teammates.

"Thanks, Sakura," Kiba said, watching Sakura's hands do its job. She looked up to the boy and gave him a sad smile.

"You're welcome. But, I think I won't be able to heal your back completely. The burns are just too great. Scars would be left here and there…"

"It's fine," he cut her off. "I think I prefer it that way because it would always remind me that I survived."

Sakura chuckled as she finished with the bandages and ruffled Kiba's hair. She then moved onto Hinata and treated her legs.

"Yours are actually treatable, Hinata. After two more sessions, your legs would be back to normal like before," Sakura said as she surrounded her hands in chakra.

"I think I'll keep mine as well," Hinata said, taking a quick glance at Kiba who widened his eyes. "For the same reason," she added with a content smile. Scars are nothing to be shamed off in their job, no matter if you are a boy or a girl.

Sakura looked at Shino who was waiting for his turn. "I'm going to guess that you would want some proof of survival as well?" she jokingly asked, and laughed when the Aburame nodded. "You guys are so weird," she muttered under her breath. She didn't want to admit it, but she was slightly jealous of the bond that Team 8 has. They were so tight-knit, always there for each other, never leaving each other's side no matter what.

"Hey, Sakura," Kiba called out. "Do you have some news on what's going on? We've been here for one and a half weeks. We're dying of boredom here."

Sakura thought for a moment, putting her stray hair behind her ears as she went to Shino's side to heal his wounds. "I heard that Shikamaru's going to be a Jonin. I'm not sure when though."

"That's great," Hinata said. They all expected it, especially after the war where they saw how Shikamaru took control of everything. It was only a matter of time before the higher-ups decide to promote him.

"Also, Sasuke-kun's going to jail," Sakura said, feeling a mix of happiness, anger, and sadness altogether.

"What did Naruto say?" Kiba asked.

"He's actually the one who said that. He even told Sasuke-kun about it, and surprisingly, he agreed. He says that he deserved it," Sakura said as she gathered up the medical supplies and put it into a box.

"How long will he be there?" Shino asked.

Sakura shrugged. "I don't know. They're still talking about it." She noticed how the three suddenly looked down, and proceeded to laugh. "Come on, guys. No need to get depressed over it."

"Aren't you sad about it?" Kiba asked, followed by a bark from Akamaru.

"To be honest, I don't know," Sakura paused for a bit, thinking about Sasuke and Naruto for a while and how they talked about what to do with with the former, especially with his crimes. A flashback of Sasuke almost killing her made her shudder all of a sudden. "But I think it's a good decision. I'd rather have him in jail for fifty years than have him executed. At least Naruto's efforts to bring Sasuke-kun back won't go to waste." A flash of Naruto saying his promise of lifetime to her suddenly appeared in her mind, making her smile. It was a promise not only to her, but probably to Naruto himself as well, she thought.

"Oh, right!" Sakura said, excusing herself for a minute as she went out of the room, glad that she was able to find an escape from the topic. Kiba, Hinata, and Shino looked at each other in confusion. She came back with a bouquet of flowers in her hand and materials she uses for her hobby – pressing flowers.

"These are for you, Hinata," she handed them to Hinata who raised her eyebrows in wonder. "It's from your father. He came by this morning but you were asleep, so he said that I should give it to you once you're awake."

"Father…" Hinata mumbled to herself, her lips turning into a smile. She took a whiff of the flowers, liking the way it smelled. Hiashi knew that her daughter must be bored, being confined into the hospital for weeks. She should thank him when he visits next time.

"Well, that's that! Just ask for me if you need some help!" Sakura said as she bid them goodbye. All three of them said "thank you" in unison, watching Sakura close the door to their room.

* * *

It was an odd dream. So odd that it shook her out of her sleep.

She saw Sakura and Kiba in her dream. She was watching the two of them laughing, talking, and doing whatever Kiba did with Hinata, except it was Sakura. It made her upset. It made her feel jealous. It frustrated her, seeing them so close. She thought that it was unfair, but she didn't know why. What was wrong with Sakura and Kiba being close? Aren't they friends?

No. That was not the problem. The problem was that they were _too_ close.

Hinata closed her eyes, the images in her dream still fresh in her mind. The two of them looked innocent, but their hands were touching, fingers entangled with each other. They sat too close with each other. The blush on Sakura's cheeks, the smile on Kiba's face. It was different. It was odd. It shouldn't be like this. This isn't normal.

Perhaps, watching Sakura wrap the bandages around Kiba's body that afternoon must have affected her a bit. The way Sakura's arms wrapped around Kiba's body, the way her delicate fingers touched his bare skin, and the way Kiba had thanked Sakura, making her look up at him, how she affectionately ruffled his hair... It must have stuck inside her mind so much that she even dreamt about it.

Her eyes turned to Kiba who was sleeping peacefully, with Akamaru on his bed near his feet.

Hinata turned to her side and went back to sleep, telling herself to forget whatever she saw in that dream of hers.

* * *

 **Congratulations. You've reached the end. Here's some skittles.**

 **I just want to say that I have nothing against KibaSaku. I think that they're cute together and actually ship them a little bit, along with KibaHina. So, I apologize if I sound like I'm dissing them. I'm not. I swear.**

 **Reviews... please? If you have some... time...?**

 **Anyway, thank you, and see you next chapter~**


	7. Preference

**Here's Chapter 7. Enjoy.**

 **Thank you for the wonderful reviews, and the favorites, as well as those people who followed! Have I mentioned how much I love you all?**

 **Okay. Let's go.**

* * *

After a few weeks of being confined in the hospital, Team 8 was finally discharged. Over are the days where they just either stared at the white walls of their room, the only color being the flowers on Hinata's side table. Over are the days where the only sound they could hear was Akamaru's squeaking ball or the frantic footsteps outside of their room. Over are the days where conversations between the three of them would end up in an awkward silence, unable to think of a new topic to discuss. Those days when they would constantly look at the clock, wishing for time to move faster, are now gone.

They are finally going home.

As soon as the three of them took a step outside their room however, the ANBU corps had suddenly appeared in front of them, asking if they could talk to Kiba privately. Even if Kiba had told Shino and Hinata that they could go ahead without him, the two of them still chose to stay behind, wanting to know the results of the conversation between Kiba and the ANBU immediately.

Hinata and Shino were currently outside of the hospital, sitting in one of the benches there. Despite the cold wind surrounding them, they still chose to stay outside, not wanting to see those bland white walls of the hospital again. They'd rather freeze to death than go back to that building where they stayed in for half a month.

After another few minutes, Shino finally stood up, and Hinata wondered if his patience could not take it anymore. Her eyes followed his every movement, watching him approach one of the bushes in the garden. He probably just found an interesting specimen, she thought.

While Shino was examining something, Hinata had started braiding her hair out of boredom. She wondered what Kiba and the ANBU were talking about for them to take so long. A long talk could mean two things; either good or bad.

 _"I'm planning to join the ANBU, Hinata."_

Her hands stopped when she remembered the time Kiba had talked to her about his plan to join the ANBU. She could remember the whole room going silent, with both Shino and Kiba's eyes on her, waiting for her to respond. It got her nervous, because her words might affect what her friend's future is going to be. She felt slightly angry at Kiba for him to say that, as if he was asking permission from her.

She wanted to say 'no' to him, truth to be told. She wanted to say that he should just try to be a jonin because that's cool and tough, and it's almost the same as ANBU except you don't have to wear those animal porcelain masks and the fact that there's less chance of you dying. She wanted to convince him that he didn't need to join because she's afraid that his recklessness would lead to his death. She wanted to say that she rather wants to see him as a jonin teacher, teaching kids on ways to become a ninja, since he always mentions how he likes kids. It was the perfect job for him. Why would he need to take those risky missions every day when he could live in peace here in Konoha?

She knew that she was being selfish, that these things are what _she_ wanted for him, but she just couldn't help for her to feel so. She had been at his side so much that she couldn't bare for them to be separated. They had grown up together, trained together, and watched each other get stronger, that she couldn't imagine to lose him, but…

 _"Okay."_

Even if she felt those things, she didn't have the courage to tell him. Her answer felt like sandpaper on her tongue. It was like she just signed his death contract. But who was she to tell him to not follow his plan? She was just his friend. She had no control over his life and choices. As a friend, her only role is to support in whatever he chooses to do so.

"Hey, sorry for taking so long!"

Kiba had ran up to them with a big smile on his face, explaining that the ANBU would start training him as soon as possible. Akamaru was barking non-stop, Shino nodded his head in acknowledgement, and Hinata, as much as her heart sunk when she heard about the acceptance, had to smile for him. It was no use for her to wish for him to not get accepted in the first place because it was the ANBU who needed confirmation from _him,_ not the opposite.

She had to forget those grim images that came up in her head, and instead, think of the ways this could make her friend even stronger; how his decision could benefit him in some way or other. Hinata can't be like Tsume and Hana who can boss him around because they are his family. She's not Kurenai-sensei either who can lecture him because she's his superior.

She was just Hinata, the friend and teammate of Kiba. The best thing she can do for him is to cheer him on, just like what he usually does to her.

* * *

It was December 25 and, not only are they celebrating Christmas, but they were also celebrating Shikamaru's promotion to jonin, and Kiba's acceptance in ANBU. The sounds of glasses filled with alcohol clanking with each other, matched with the sizzles coming from the grill, along with their loud chattering, was no doubt an evidence to a happy gathering between friends.

Hinata's eyes went to the open space between Tenten and Shino, knowing that it was the seat that her cousin used to occupy. Neji always described it as the place where he could get the most peace, since Shino was mostly quiet, while Tenten could at least control the volume of her voice unlike their other teammate, Lee. It was really considerate for them to leave a space for him, even though Neji's been gone for a while now.

A few minutes ago, Sasuke was here as well – or rather, he was forced by Naruto to come, judging by his angry tone at the blond. It was the first time to see him again after the war. Everyone did not know how to react, seeing the Uchiha in front of them so suddenly. It was awkward seeing the person that you're prepared to kill if he gets anymore uncontrollable. Even Sakura didn't know what to do with the situation. Of course, as everyone expected, Sasuke didn't stay for any long, and left before Naruto could react. Hinata could only wonder if Sasuke actually wanted to mingle with them, but knew that it was impossible for a person like him to do so.

"You know what?" Ino said, pouring more alcohol into her glass, "We might as well celebrate my promotion to jonin as well! Come on! We all know that it's going to happen someday! Let's have an advanced celebration now!" she laughed, unaware that her ponytail had slightly dunked into the sauce.

"Well, if you're going to celebrate yours, then let's celebrate mine as well!" Sakura suddenly said, standing up from her position. "No one could deny the fact that I contributed a lot to the war!" Ino just laughed as she hit Sakura's forehead, right onto the marking. Sakura, in return, ate everything that was on Ino's plate.

"We're all going to be promoted someday anyway, so let's have a celebration for all of us!" Lee declared, wobbling around a bit, making the other guys laugh at him. Hinata giggled when she saw Shino grab Lee's glass and poured all of its content into his own. Clearly, Lee had already too much to drink.

"Stop hogging the meat, Choji!" Kiba leaned onto the desk to grab some meat from the plate, only for Choji to take it, much to his frustration. Shikamaru just sighed as he ordered two more plates of the same meat. Hinata swore that she saw Shikamaru mumble out 'how troublesome' when Tenten ordered five more bowls of rice, while Sai ordered an expensive plate of meat.

"Why don't we just celebrate Hinata's birthday as well?" Shino suddenly said, causing everyone to stop whatever they were doing. "Why? It's because-"

"Happy birthday, Hinata!" They all said in unison, making Hinata blush instantly at the sudden attention she was getting. Even the other customers in the restaurant started looking at their direction. Kiba just laughed at Shino for getting cut off.

"I-I-I-I-It's still t-two days later….!"

"Doesn't matter!" Ino said, pouring alcohol on Hinata's glass even though she protested. "It's an advanced celebration for a reason. Happy seventeenth, Hinata!"

"I'm sorry if I don't have a gift, Hinata," Tenten said, touching Hinata's arm. Hinata reassured her that it was fine.

In a few seconds, another conversation had started, and the attention on Hinata was gone, much to her relief. She took a sip of her drink, putting out her tongue when she tasted how bitter it was and how unappealing the smell was. She probably have to get used to this someday.

Hinata heard a loud laugh, obviously coming out of Naruto, and was then joined by the laugh of other guys on their side. She wondered what they were talking about that even Sai could laugh at. Her eyes landed on Kiba, his head resting on his hand.

 _Happy Birthday_ , He mouthed to her, ending it with a toothy smile.

She mouthed back a 'thank you', feeling a blush creeping out of her face. It was like there's a secret message that only the two of them knew about. She didn't know why she even sat so far from her teammates, being diagonally across from them. Since Sakura, Ino, and Tenten preferred her to sit by them because of their gender, it had become her permanent place to sit by them.

All of them started talking about what would happen if Naruto would become Hokage. They all agreed that Konoha would end up in ruins if that ever happened, much to Naruto's frustration since he was expecting praises from them. Naruto then explains that Shikamaru would help him, but the Nara shoots him down, saying that it would be too troublesome. Hinata, as much as she admired Naruto for his strength and determination, was unable to stop herself from laughing.

The discussion had then divided into two after; one discussion between the boys, and the other for the girls. It usually turns out like this even if they all sit in one table.

Sakura was talking about how she wanted to build a clinic for kids who were traumatized by the war, and though Ino was agreeing with Sakura, she told Sakura that she should talk less about work when they are on their vacation. Then they both promised with each other that they would talk about this further someday.

Tenten was sharing about how she just bought an expensive weapon, crying that she didn't have money anymore, and thanking Shikamaru from the distance for choosing to pay for their dinner tonight. She then suddenly asked if Hinata was planning to become the head of the clan now that Hiashi recognized her strength. Hinata only said that it was on her father to decide that.

"Are you kidding me? Long-haired girls are better!"

Hinata's hand stopped in midair just as she was grabbing a meat from the grill, when she heard Choji say that. She looked at Ino, Sakura, and Tenten, and realized that she was the only one who heard or noticed that the guys were talking about their preference in women – specifically, the hair. They were too preoccupied on other things to notice the interesting topic between the guys.

"What's the point if they keep tying it anyway? Just cut it short," Shikamaru said, putting more meat into the grill, only for Choji to take them away. He was obviously talking about Temari or Ino, or both.

"They look pretty when they put it down, though," Lee said, begging for Shino to just let him drink one more glass.

Hinata didn't even listen to Tenten, Ino and Sakura's conversation anymore, her ears focusing onto the discussion between the boys.

"Personally, I like short haired girls," Naruto said loudly, interrupting Shino who was about to speak. Hinata didn't notice however how Naruto took a quick glance at Sakura, seeing if she heard what he preferred in women. She didn't hear Shikamaru saying that Naruto was only saying that because he liked Sakura. She didn't hear how Sai mentioned that Naruto liked girls that look like a man, with Naruto getting irritated at his unnecessary comment. No. She was too focused on the words that Kiba spoke after Naruto.

"I like girls with short hair too."

She watched Lee punch Kiba's shoulder lightly, asking if he had someone in his mind, only for him to laugh and push him back harder than he intended to. Naruto was whining about how they didn't tease Kiba when he said the same thing as him. Their topic immediately changed to something about their family after that when Kiba mentioned that Lee acted like his sister, Hana, when he teased him.

Hinata's eyes landed onto the first person that came into her mind, Sakura, who was asking Shikamaru about his promotion, and was quickly reminded of the dream she had before. Her mind then made a calculation and ended up with the conclusion that Kiba likes Sakura, since Kiba likes girls with short hair, and Sakura had a short hair.

"Hinata! Your food's burning!"

Hinata snapped out of her mind when she heard Tenten's voice, and looked at where she pointed. Indeed, the meat that she was grilling had burned black. It was like she was planning to eat coal. She couldn't even remember what it used to look like. She quickly muttered an apology and removed it from the grill, replacing it with a new one.

Her grip on her chopsticks tightened as she watched the meat get cooked onto the grill. She didn't know why she was bothered with this new fact. Why was she so affected by Kiba liking Sakura? It's none of her business, right? Kiba could like whoever he wants to, no big deal. It's his choice. If he likes Sakura, then so be it. Sakura's pretty and strong, something that she was sure Kiba was looking for in a woman.

" _I like girls with short hair too."_

Hinata suddenly became conscious of her own hair, unable to stop touching and looking at it.

* * *

She tried putting her hair into her shirt, trying to see what she looked like if her hair was short again. Hinata could barely remember what her appearance was when she decided to grow out her hair during those two years Naruto was gone. She could only remember Hanabi being displeased by it when her hair reached below her ears, and started complimenting it when it finally reached below her shoulders. Her shoulders sunk in defeat after a few minutes and sighed, letting out her hair again and tying it into a ponytail.

 _What am I doing…_

Her thoughts were cut short when she heard a soft knock on her door. Assuming that it was her father or sister, she quickly hid the combs, brushes, hair ties, and the scissors, before opening up the door, afraid that they might question what she was doing. She slightly sighed in relief when it was just the maid who was the one that knocked.

"Hinata-sama, there's someone who wants to see you."

She quickly thanked the maid and grabbed her jacket before going down. She bowed her head to her father when they met in the halls, asking for permission to go outside for a while. Hiashi just nodded at her and waved her off.

When she got out of the house, she saw a glimpse of brown, messy hair, and knew instantly that it was Kiba. She saw him raise his head and turn, his fang showing a bit as he smiled at her.

"Hey, Hinata."

"Hi," she smiled, sweeping her bangs to the side, only for them to fall back in place. "What are you doing here?" she asked, noticing that Akamaru was not with him at all, for some strange reason.

"I just wanted to give you this," he said, handing her a potted Lilac, with a ribbon decorated onto the pot. "Just a gift for your birthday. Sorry if it's kind of lame. I really didn't have enough time to think of a good gift for this year," he rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's not lame, Kiba-kun," she accepted the plant and took a sniff of it. "Thank you. I really like it. You didn't have to, though."

"Nah. I had to. It's weird if I stop when I give you gifts every year."

She smiled, fiddling with the ribbon on the pot, while he chuckled.

"You know, I just realized that I gave you a depressing gift."

Hinata raised her eyebrows at Kiba's statement.

"I mean, they only live for a short while before dying. Isn't that kind of depressing, to watch them wilt and you have no choice but to throw them?" he gently touched one of the flowers, looking at how the petals were structured.

She let her fingers touch the leaves, her hand slightly grazing Kiba's, recalling a memory from the past. "I remember when my mother died and we received a lot of flowers during her funeral. It was really sad to see them get thrown out since they were all so pretty, which was why I took the time to learn how to press them." She smiled, looking up at Kiba who was listening intently. "It makes the flowers last forever."

"Are you saying that you're going to press these so that you can keep them forever?"

"Well, you gave me a potted plant so, I doubt that they'll die sooner than a bouquet. I'll try to make them last forever like this but, if they start to die, then I guess I will press them."

Now that their faces are a bit closer, Hinata noticed that there was a cut on Kiba's cheek, right under his eye. It wasn't there when they got out of the hospital or when they had that gathering two days ago.

"What happened to this?" she said, reaching out her hand to touch it, and taking it back when Kiba flinched a bit.

"Ah… I got it from the training," he touched the said wound carefully with his fingers.

"You're already training?" she saw another cut on his neck.

"Yeah. They said that I should already start. That's why I didn't have enough time to think of a good present," he replied, fixing the hood of his jacket and running his hand through his hair. "I've always thought that Kurenai-sensei was strict but, man, they're stricter than her. One misstep and I would be sent back to the hospital. I'm not sure if they're trying to train me or kill me."

Hinata didn't know whether to laugh at his comment or not.

"I guess I kind of understand. I mean, being an ANBU is no joke. You have to be on your toes every time if you want to go back home alive." He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket and looked up to the sky, before looking at Hinata again. "They said that I'm good at combat, but I really suck at handling genjutsu. And that I acted on impulse too much. I guess I need to improve on those."

"Is that part of your training as well?" She said, looking at the small book in his back pocket. It was really odd seeing Kiba bringing a book with him, so she assumed that it was something that he was _really_ required to read.

"This?" Kiba held out the book to her and showed some of the pages. "Yeah. Anatomy, chakra, and stuff I never even heard about. I can't believe I'm studying again. I thought that it was over when I graduated from the academy but, I guess not," he shrugged.

 _You should stop if you're having a hard time._

Hinata bit her lips to stop herself from saying what her mind wanted her to say. She can't say that when Kiba's already starting with his training! She can't say that, _ever_.

As she watched Kiba ramble on more about his training, letting him release all the stress he's been going through now, she wondered if his personality would change once he becomes a permanent member of ANBU. It's obvious that Kiba's personality would not fit with what was required in the ANBU. They needed him to be secretive, quiet, stealthy, and mature. Kiba's playful attitude along with his recklessness would not be good thing for them. Would they try to change everything about him?

Hinata wondered if they're going to force him to cut off his ties to his friends as well someday. They probably see them as a nuisance and a distraction for Kiba.

She tries so hard to see Kiba joining ANBU as a good thing. She perfectly understood that Kiba needs to change because it's required to do so, because if he doesn't, then he won't be an effective member of the ANBU. She tries to see it as an alternative for Kiba to get stronger and better, even though he was already good enough for her. He could easily become jonin because of his tracking skills. Even Kakashi knows how good Kiba's nose is. She was scared that the ANBU might take away the Kiba that she had come to known. She was afraid that they won't even have time to converse like this again.

She was being selfish again.

"Anyway, I need to go, Hinata," Kiba said, standing up straight. "I'm actually in the middle of our sessions and just excused myself because I said that I _really_ needed to meet someone since it's her birthday and all. They may be strict, but they're really understanding." That explained why Akamaru wasn't with him right now.

"They seem to be taking up most of your time," she unintentionally said it in a bitter tone. She just hoped that Kiba did not notice at all.

"Not really. I'm still available on weekends," he said, completely missing her point.

Hinata just sighed and smiled at him. "Just go. They might get mad if you stay any longer."

"Alright, alright," he chuckled. "Bye, Hinata."

 _Don't join the ANBU, please. I beg you._

Hinata nodded at him, ignoring the pleas inside her head. "Good luck, Kiba-kun."

* * *

 **Congratulations. You've reached the end. Here's some fish and bread.**

 **Things I want to say (skip this if you don't care):**

 **1\. I'm sorry if I was not able to update for two weeks. I just felt burnout with all the midterms, quizzes, readings, papers, group works, make-up classes, and projects that piled one after another. Even if I opened my laptop to start writing, I would immediately shut it down because I didn't have any motivation to do so. I personally think that I'm still not in topnotch condition, but I feel better now than before. I'll probably go back updating this weekly again. Thank you for your patience.**

 **2\. I changed their age a bit. It seems to be that they were already seventeen (sixteen for Hinata) during the war.**

 **3\. After reading one of the reviews, I decided to go back and watch Kiba and Naruto's fight again and... yeah. The review was right. Kiba's declaration to become Hokage was more of an insult to Naruto than an actual dream of his. I was debating with myself whether to change it in my story or not, but I decided not to, not finding any good reason to do so. So, yes. I'm sorry for those people who are/will be bothered by this. I guess Shippuden brainwashed me into thinking that Kiba was obsessed with becoming Hokage when he wasn't really at first.**

 **Uh... if you have some... time, please leave a... review?**

 **Anyway, thank you, and see you next chapter~**


	8. Maybe

**Here's Chapter 8. Enjoy.**

 **Thank you for those people who took the time to review, favorite, and followed this story. You guys know how much I love you, right?**

 **Also, to the person who told me to kill myself... I don't know why, probably because I'm screwed up in the head, but your comment has made me laugh. Maybe because I've already expected someone to say that to me when I decided to publish this story. Anyway, I just want to say... thank you. Thank you for making me laugh, for making my day brighter when I was feeling down.**

 **Okay. Let's go.**

* * *

 _"Kiba, can we talk?"_

That day, Kiba, Shino, and Hinata were all surprised to see Sakura on their training grounds. All of them immediately stopped in their tracks, looking at the pink-haired girl who was staring intently at the Inuzuka, waiting for him to respond. It was rare for Sakura to visit Team 8's training grounds, or Team 8 themselves. During the two years Naruto was gone, she usually went to Team 10's training grounds since Ino was there. All of them wondered what brought Sakura to their place, but considering that it was days after Shikamaru and Sai told Sakura about Naruto's feelings towards her, the three of them had a sort of idea of what she's here for.

Hinata heard Kiba clicking his tongue in irritation, no doubt that he knew why Sakura wanted to talk to him. He must have anticipated this to happen sometime later, knowing Sakura's personality. Hinata could see Lee and Sai a few distance away from them, and wondered if they were with Sakura as well.

She felt Shino stare at her, and when their eyes met, Shino immediately walked toward the trees. Hinata took this as a cue and, after taking a last glance at Kiba who was getting more uncomfortable minute after minute, headed towards Shino's side to give the two privacy.

Sakura looked at them for a few seconds, her eyes lingering on Shino a bit longer, before she walked towards Kiba and started talking to him. Hinata wondered if Sakura was making sure that both she and Shino wouldn't eavesdrop at their conversation. As much as she understood Sakura for thinking that way, Hinata couldn't help but feel a little hurt that Sakura did not trust them at all.

Hinata watched Sakura's mouth move as she talked, trying to read the words but only failed doing so. She saw Kiba's eyebrows furrowing as he listened to Sakura, but Hinata wasn't sure if Kiba was trying hard to understand whatever Sakura was talking about, or was just simply getting annoyed. For a few minutes, Hinata was just playing a guessing game on what was going on. All she knew was that Sakura was trying to convince Kiba of _something_.

Another few minutes passed and, judging on Kiba's expression, it seems to be that he had given in to Sakura's request. All seriousness in Sakura's face immediately disappeared, and was replaced with a relieved smile that immediately got replaced _again_ with seriousness. How Sakura could change emotions so fast, Hinata did not know.

Hinata and Shino approached the two again after being called out by Sakura, telling them that it's fine now. Hinata saw how Sakura cast a glance at Kiba, whisper something to him, before going off, talking to Lee and Sai before they went their own separate ways. Hinata didn't really know why, but Sakura's actions towards Kiba were making her feel uncomfortable and uneasy. She wanted to know what the hell the two of them talked about for them to act so secretive. Why did Sakura need them to be far away to talk to Kiba? Was it that confidential? Did Sakura not trust them at all with the secret? Why Kiba? Hinata had always thought that Sakura didn't have a high opinion towards Kiba. Was she wrong to assume that?

Only a few days later would Hinata and Shino find out that Kiba was requested by Sakura to come with her, along with Lee and Sai, to find Naruto. Kiba was needed to track Naruto's whereabouts, as well as to make sure that no one would follow them. A very important role that, Sakura, and even Hinata, knew only Kiba could fill out.

For days to come, Hinata forgot about the uneasiness that she felt during that time, brushing it off as just curiosity. Now that she looked back on it, she might have been wrong with that. That curiosity she felt might not have been curiosity at all. In fact, it might have been jealousy, if she would ever admit it. But for what? She didn't really know, and she still doesn't know.

Maybe she was just jealous by the fact that Sakura would entrust that kind of job to Kiba, when Sakura could ask Hinata in the first place. There were more times when Sakura would talk to Hinata rather than Kiba, knowing that the boy was too inattentive and just did not care about what Sakura's problems are.

Maybe she was just jealous by the fact that Sakura had asked Kiba, when Hinata was as good of a tracker as Kiba and Shino. She didn't really have that keen nose of Kiba and the tracking bugs of Shino, but she had the Byakugan that was known for its extreme sight. She could easily identify if people are following them or not. However, now that she thinks about it, she wouldn't be able to track Naruto. Only Kiba and Shino could do that kind of job. She may be able to track like them, but the distance was too much for her.

Maybe she was just jealous of the fact that Sakura was able to convince Kiba to do something. Kiba's not the type of person who easily gives in to someone's bidding. He was too free-spirited to follow someone's orders. But compared to when they were kids, Kiba has matured. He might be impulsive still, but he is by no means a lawbreaker or disrespectful.

Maybe she was just jealous of the fact that Sakura would find and meet up with Naruto. But she didn't know about her plans that time just yet, so she immediately threw out this possibility.

Hinata tries to think up all these possibilities, knowing that she was deliberately ignoring a reason that she was definitely sure about. She was consciously ignoring the fact that she was jealous of Kiba and Sakura's interaction that time. It was Hinata's first time seeing Kiba and Sakura interact that close, making her wonder if anything had happened between them when Kiba's not with his team. It had made her wonder if Kiba had someone to talk to, spend his time to, other than her. That he had someone he enjoyed being with other than Hinata.

And that somehow, made her feel jealous.

It's not like Shino and Hinata were Kiba's only friends. Kiba would also walk along with Shikamaru, Chouji, and even Naruto. He would even talk to Neji, and occasionally, Lee. But it was different with Sakura, not because she was a girl – or maybe because she is a girl. Kiba barely interacted with Ino and Tenten, much less Sakura. He could really care less about them when they're in the village. For Kiba, his mother, sister, Hinata, and Kurenai were already enough women to deal with.

Maybe that's why she was bothered with it now as well, because it was something Hinata hadn't expected to happen in her life.

Hinata looked at her own reflection in the mirror while combing her hair, thoughts clouding up her mind. A new year has already started, the snow was starting to melt, Shino's already eighteen, but she was still bothered by it.

Maybe she needed a second opinion.

* * *

Throughout her years, Hanabi had been asked several times by her father, friends, relatives, servants, and even the commoners, on what she thought about her sister, Hinata. These question would usually occur whenever something major had happened that involved Hinata. She was asked when Hiashi had stopped training Hinata. She had been asked when Hinata had joined the Chuunin exams. She had been asked when Hinata had lost against Neji. She had been asked when Hinata was promoted to Chuunin. She got asked when Hinata had joined the war. All those questions and she only answered with the same thing every time.

"I don't know."

It was not an answer to easily brush them off, though it does shut them up quickly. It was just something that comes up immediately to her head when the question pops up, and to be honest, it might be because she really did not know. Even if she took the time to think about her answer after, she couldn't come up with a better answer than what she gave.

Hanabi did not really know if she loved or hated her sister.

There are times when Hanabi had looked at Hinata and actually thought of her as her sister. Despite their soured relationship due to the competition between them, Hinata still did her role as an elderly sister for Hanabi. She would occasionally tell her things to do or not to do during training so that Hanabi would not anger or disappoint their father. Hinata would occasionally tell her stories about what she did, and sometimes even about her mother that Hanabi could barely remember at all. These are the times when Hanabi just enjoyed being with Hinata's side, enjoying the motherly attitude her sister brings.

For Hanabi, Hinata was both a sister and a mother-figure to her. Always caring, gentle, yet still a little bit strict and well-mannered.

On the other hand, Hanabi hated Hinata. It might sound a little harsh for anyone, but she did.

She hated how Hinata had given up something that she was blessed with – the honor of being the leader of one of the most powerful clan in the village. Both of them were privileged, yes, for being born in the main family, but Hinata was far more blessed than Hanabi, and she was jealous of that. Hanabi wasn't the one who was born first. No, it was Hinata. Hinata was older, the first born of Hiashi Hyuuga, meaning that she would be the next in line.

But Hinata had given it all up, for she had accepted the fact that she could never be as good as Hanabi in terms of progress. She had accepted that she was weak.

While Hanabi was glad that Hiashi had started giving attention to her, she had been indeed very disappointed of her sister. Hinata was someone that Hanabi had looked up to, not as an inspiration, but as a motivation; a motivation to get stronger, to make herself better, and to catch the attention of her father, making him realize that he actually had another daughter besides Hinata and that she was as capable as her.

However, she did not wish for Hinata to give up. Hanabi just wanted to stand on the same ground as Hinata and compete for the position. She wanted a fair battle between them, be trained on the same level, be treated equally. She wanted to be a rival to her sister, fighting for the right to be the next heir to the clan.

Hanabi just wanted to be seen as an equal, not a replacement.

It was hard being the younger sibling of Hinata. She was the one who everyone in their family looked up to, watching her over, excited to see what kind of a leader Hinata would become. When Hanabi replaced Hinata, it was obvious in their eyes how disappointed some of them were. The elders may not care – and neither did Hanabi to them – but the servants and some of their relative were upset. Hanabi was upset too. Not only was she a replacement, but she had to be better than what her sister did. She had to exceed the expectations her father, and perhaps the whole clan, had put on her. She had to exert more effort, distinguish herself from Hinata, proving to everyone that she would not be like her weak sister.

It was hard. It was tiring, and just plain exhausting. This was not what she had wanted. It was hard to not be filled with so much hate towards your sibling, but Hanabi just couldn't help it. Her hatred towards Hinata became her stress relief, something to direct her anger to. She was sure that Hinata realized how much she hated her, which was probably why Hinata had distanced herself from Hanabi.

It was odd, being the one who hated Hinata when it should have been the opposite. Hinata should have hated Hanabi for replacing her, not the opposite. But who knows? Her sister might be hiding something under her kindness.

When Hinata had started to become a bit stronger on her own, developing her own techniques while improving her old ones, Hanabi's hatred started to lessen down. This was also the time when Hiashi had softened up and took in Neji to train him along with Hanabi. Hiashi had also took the time to train Hinata again, continuing where they have left off. Hanabi's workload had lessen, the atmosphere around the house had lightened up, and the relationship between Hinata and Hanabi, though the process was slow, was getting back to how it used to be. Everything just became better for all of them, and they all liked it.

But still, Hanabi's answer still remained the same. She didn't know what she felt towards Hinata. It was really odd. She was expecting for the hatred to just go away, but it didn't. Some of them were still left over, but she didn't really know why.

"Father?" Hinata said, catching Hanabi's attention from the dinner on the table. Hiashi glanced up from his bowl of rice, with Hinata taking that as a cue to continue. "D-do you think that I should cut my hair? L-like," she gulped, "this short?" she put her hand a bit over her shoulder, indicating the length.

Hanabi just sat there, staring at her sister, her chopsticks staying inside her mouth. She saw how her sister's hands were trembling, perhaps from fear of being shut down. She didn't really know what Hinata was thinking when she decided to ask that to their father of all people. Didn't she have bug boy and dog boy to spout out her stupid questions to?

"Why not?" Hiashi said after a long pause. Hanabi saw that Hinata had let out an air that she was keeping, and let out one as well. Of course Hinata would be nervous. Nobody asks that question to their father at all. She didn't know why she _herself_ was nervous as well, though.

"Do… uh, do you think that it's going to look good on me?" Hinata's voice was getting softer and softer after every word that even Hanabi, who was sitting across her, had to strain her ears just to get the full gist of it. Hanabi just let out a groan as she took another bite.

"Probably. You would look exactly like your mother did," Hiashi said, taking a drink from the glass, not noticing the bright smile from her eldest daughter who was content with his answer.

Hanabi just looked at her father, then back to her sister, with a frown on her face. She now know why the hatred towards Hinata was still there deep inside her.

Hanabi was jealous because Hinata knew who their mother was.

Unlike Hinata who was able to hug, talk, kiss, and just bond with their mother, Hanabi never did. Their mother died before she could even have the ability to form memories. All she had were pictures and stories of her, on how she was kind and looked like Hinata. But they weren't enough.

They just weren't enough.

No stories would satisfy her desire to see her. No words could define the love that their mother could have given her. Hanabi's desire to hug her won't be granted by those stupid words that come out from people's mouths. No one understood. No one knew how much she just wanted to have a chance on talking with their mother, just like her sister did. Everyone thought that she was okay due to her tough demeanor, but in truth, she was longing for the mother that she used to have.

"Hanabi."

Hanabi looked at her father who was looking at her disapprovingly.

"Stop poking you food. Haven't I taught you about respect?" Hiashi said, his voice soft yet somehow loud in her ears. The tone was stern, but never angry.

Hanabi placed the chopsticks on the table, still looking down. She glanced up quickly to her sister who was looking at her worryingly, and bit her lips. If it could work on her sister, then surely it must work for her as well, right?

"Father…?" she weakly called out.

"Yes?"

"C-can you talk about mother more?" she noticed how her father's eyebrows had risen, but continued. "I don't really know much about her so… I-I," she hated how she stuttered like her sister, "I want to know more about mother…"

Hanabi immediately looked down, her hair hiding her face from her family. She bit her lip hard, her hand clenching her clothes, bracing herself from the harsh words that, she knew, would come out from her father's lips.

"Finish your food, Hanabi," Hiashi said, the sound of the glass being placed on the table echoing in Hanabi's head. Hanabi just sighed, her shoulders in a slump, as she grabbed her chopsticks and continued eating.

"We'll talk about your mother after dinner."

Hanabi's head immediately turned to her father, looking at him with wide, teary eyes, as he grabbed a vegetable from his plate and put it in his mouth. The two sister's eyes met when they looked at each other, surprised at what their father had said, and smiled widely at each other.

Hanabi's smile stayed for the whole dinner, shoveling food in her mouth as fast as she can before being scolded when she choked on her food. Despite the scolding, her smile still stayed throughout. Hanabi would notice Hinata occasionally looking at her with a gentle smile on her face, and would return them when their eyes meet again and again.

Hanabi may hate Hinata as much as she hated parsley, but she loved the smile that her sister had.

Because it always triggered a memory in Hanabi's mind. A memory of her mother, looking down on her, talking with her, holding her hand, with the same smile on her face.

* * *

"Don't tell Sakura about it, okay?" Ino said, her ponytail swinging around in the wind as Hinata walked together with her. Ino suddenly jumped in front of Hinata, making her stop immediately, and closed in on her face. Hinata pulled back a little, finding the invasion of space a little uncomfortable. "It's a surprise," Ino said with a sneaky smile.

"But, she's coming, right?" Hinata asked. "How is it a surprise?"

"She just knows that it's a gathering, not a surprise party," Ino said, looking around to make sure that the person they are talking about wasn't in the same vicinity. "Promise?" she held out her pinky finger to Hinata.

"Promise," Hinata mumbled, holding out her pinky as well to Ino, who smiled in satisfaction.

"Alright. Well, I'm going this way so…" Ino pointed to the street on their left, "See you later!" She walked a few steps before turning back. "I've already told Kiba and Shino so you don't need to worry about them, alright?"

Hinata nodded at Ino and waved her goodbye, watching her friend skipping her way to… wherever she was planning to go. Ino and Sakura might fight and argue a lot, but they do treasure each other, as much as they don't admit or show it. It reminded Hinata of Kiba and Shino.

She looked up at the blue sky, and thought about Sakura's promotion to jonin. All of them were pretty much expecting it to happen, but they didn't expect the decision to be this fast. It seemed like yesterday when Shikamaru just became jonin, and now, Sakura's going to be one. Kiba's an ANBU-in-training, which could be considered as jonin as well. Next thing you know, all of her friends would become one.

She wondered if there would come a time when she would be promoted to jonin as well. She's not really achieving to become one, but it would be really nice if it did happen.

Hinata suddenly heard a chime ringing, and looked at the direction where it came from. It was a small shop, a barber shop, a place that she haven't noticed until now since she cuts her hair in their compound. She approached the building, looking at the clock inside the shop through the window, counting how many hours she has left before entering. She still had a few more hours before the party, and she had nothing to do anyways. Maybe it would be fun to see her friends' shocked faces when they see her later tonight.

Maybe it would be fun to see _his_ surprised face tonight.

* * *

"Are you sure about this? It's pretty long. You might regret this."

Hinata just looked straight at the mirror, taking a last look at her long hair that she grew out for two years, and back to the barber. "I won't."

"Last call," the barber sang.

Hinata giggled. "I'm sure of it."

She closed her eyes, feeling the scissor getting closer and closer, and her heart thumping in her chest fast and loud. The moment that she heard the snipping sound, her eyes immediately opened, and saw how her hair had fallen to the floor.

Pursing her lips, ignoring the last minute regrets in her head, she said goodbye to those strands.

She didn't really understand why she was having a hard time with this. When she saw during the Chuunin exam on how Ino simply cut her hair on the spot, just to give point to something, as well as using it during her battle, Hinata thought that it would be easy for her as well. So why was it so hard? It's just hair… isn't it? Her long hair was the source of being lazy to cut it short again.

It was also the evidence of how long she had waited for Naruto.

Two years. Two whole years. She had waited for Naruto to come back for two years, promising herself to become stronger so that when he comes back, she could fight alongside him.

Her hair symbolized the time she spent waiting. The time she had spent wondering how Naruto was doing. The time she had spent training, getting stronger, physically and mentally, so that she could stand beside Naruto, instead of staying in shadows. A symbolism of her determination and desire to be more capable not only to Naruto, but to everyone. It was the evidence of change in her.

Now that she had attained those… did it even matter anymore?

Another snipping sound, and she realized that the other side of her hair is now cut in half. She never expected for it to be this quick. Hinata's eyes met with the barber's when she looked at the mirror, and was ensured by the barber that she doesn't have to worry about anything. That he would not mess this up. It wasn't what Hinata was worried about, but she did feel a little bit better after being told.

Hinata closed her eyes again, and just focused onto the snipping sound the scissors make, and continued to mentally say goodbye to each cut.

* * *

Ino, perhaps because of the techniques of the Yamanaka clan involving the mind, had always liked watching and observing the people around her. She thought that her observations would come in use someday if she ever took control of their body. Not only that but, it was just simply fun. It was fun predicting what the other thinks about. It was a good exercise on her mind, and a test whether she knows the people close to her inside and out.

Some people were easy to read. Choji, for example, would always think about what he's going to eat later on. Shikamaru, her other teammate, either thinks about nothing or just desiring to watch the clouds instead of whatever he was currently doing. Naruto would think of ramen, Sakura, and Sasuke. And so on, and so forth.

The only people in her circle she had a hard time reading onto was Sai and Shino. Ino couldn't read Shino because his facial features was mostly hidden, and that she barely notices his presence. Sai, on the other hand, as much as she liked his physical features, she really did not know if the emotions coming from Sai was real or not. Sometimes it felt fake, while other times it felt real. Ino didn't know how to distinguish the two.

"Are you nervous?"

Ino looked at Kiba who spoke to her. "I'm just worried that everything wouldn't go according to plan."

Kiba just let a hum as he looked at the road again, waiting for the last person, Hinata, to come. Shino then brought up some topic to Kiba and they proceeded to talk among themselves. Ino had always found it funny how these two became friends despite their differences. Perhaps, nothing really is impossible in this world.

Speaking of Kiba, Ino couldn't decide whether she had a hard time reading Kiba or not. On one hand, Kiba was vocal and emotional, always speaking out whatever was on his mind. The clear opposite of Hinata. On the other hand, unlike Hinata who was still easy to understand, Kiba's vocal tendencies might be something he does to cover up what he truly thinks and feels about. It's clear as day when he is angry, happy, or frustrated, but that was on the outside. Inside however, Ino feels that Kiba's thinking of other things, opposite of what he shows to everyone.

After a few minutes of waiting outside the restaurant, Hinata had finally arrived, sporting a new look that surprised each and every one of them. Ino was surprised that even Kiba and Shino, her teammates and closest friends, were uninformed of this. Gone was the long hair that she had, replaced with a short hair that was just above her shoulder, with her fringe being swept to the side instead of leaving them at the center.

Not only that, but Hinata felt different. Ino was sure that Hinata had a different aura than what she used to have when they met a few hours ago. Ino couldn't pinpoint what it was. Maybe it was the sudden surge of confidence coming from the Hyuuga. Maybe she was just having delusions.

Everyone started wondering if something had happened to Hinata, prompting her to cut her hair that short. It has been a while since they have seen her with a short hair. They have gotten so used to her having a long hair that they have forgotten how she had looked like when she was younger. Some of them had praised her new appearance, saying that it suited her. Tenten just directly told her that she liked Hinata with long hair better, which the Hyuuga just laughed at.

Despite the attention that Hinata was getting, Ino had noticed that the girl was constantly looking back at Kiba, who was still dumbstruck at her change. Usually, Kiba was the one who would pipe up first, complimenting and complaining about the change, but for some reason, he wasn't doing that now. With a hint of worry and wonder in her eyes, Ino had looked at Kiba to check on him. Perhaps nudge him in the stomach while at it because Hinata was obviously waiting for his comment.

It was just a split second, but she saw it. She saw how Kiba had gritted his teeth, then pursing his mouth, before turning it into that signature grin of his, with his fangs poking out.

"Heh, what the hell… You actually look cute with that hair," the Inuzuka said, letting out a chuckle. Hinata's smile had turned brighter, her eyes lighting up, and thanking Kiba for his kind words, a blush on her cheeks evident despite the darkness.

Hinata might think of Kiba's words as genuine, but Ino thinks otherwise. She may not know Kiba to the extent of Hinata and Shino, but she knew him well enough to know that his comment had a slight tone of anger in it. No, not anger… was it bitterness? She didn't know. She only knows that the comment felt forced on Kiba's part, as if he didn't even want to acknowledge the change. Did he like that Hinata had cut her hair? Or did he not? Who knows?

Maybe it was for this reason that Ino doesn't really like Kiba that much. Not only can he sense the emotions of people by his sensitive nose, but he was hard to read for all the wrong reasons. He wasn't hard to read because he lacked emotions like Sai, or was covered up like Shino. He was loud, he was all mouth, impulsive, and yet no one really knew what he's currently thinking. He always seemed to be pretending, but at the same time, he's honest.

Whatever it was Kiba was hiding or thinking of, Ino just hoped that he would just let it all out, or just forget about it. It was obvious, at least for Ino, that this was affecting Kiba from the inside. As much as she doesn't really like Kiba because he's annoying, he was still her friend. Maybe she'll take the time to ask him; if he would be willing to talk about it, that is.

For now, Sakura was the focus.

* * *

"Lee-san… C-could we change seats?"

Hinata just prayed that Lee won't ask any further questions with her request. Please just let him think that it was because she just wanted to seat beside her teammate. Please just let him think that it was just some innocent request. Please just let him stand up and change seats.

All of these prayers just replayed again and again in Hinata's mind as she waited for Lee's response. Kiba and Shino, as well as Shikamaru, Sai, and Naruto were now looking at her, as if she was an alien that landed on Konoha. Not that she could blame them for thinking like that. It's not like she always asks for this kind of request.

"Of course!" Lee said, standing up immediately and moving to Sakura's side, where Hinata was sitting just a few moments ago. Hinata sighed in relief, glad that Lee was Kiba's seatmate and that he never asked a single question why. If it was Sai who was sitting in Lee's place, she was sure that he would ask questions until she could convince him.

"What's with you all of a sudden?" Kiba asked, watching Hinata sit down and pouring her a drink.

"Remember our talk a few days ago? Something about Akamaru finding a mate?" she continued when he nodded. "You actually never finished talking about that."

"Really?"

Hinata nodded.

"Alright. So, okay. Where did I left off?"

"I think it was about you wondering about the offspring...?"

"Okay. So, yeah. You see, since the other dog isn't really raised by us, I'm kind of worried, you know. I'm not sure how it's going to be-"

Hinata smiled as she took a drink, listening to the story of Kiba. She really liked how he had always talked fondly about Akamaru, or anything in particular. His enjoyment was really contagious.

To be honest, Kiba was actually done with this talk. Hinata just lied to have a topic they could discuss, and was glad that Kiba didn't remember. A topic that could start a conversation between them, and would start another one after it. She just wanted to hear him talk.

To be _really_ honest, she just wanted to sit beside him.

As more and more they talk, just the two of them, she felt like they were the only ones in the restaurant right now. She couldn't hear Naruto's laugh, Sakura and Ino's bantering, Shikamaru's grumbling, Lee's shouting, etcetera, etcetera. All she could hear was Kiba's voice among the crowd.

And she liked it that way.

* * *

For the first time in a while, Kiba and Hinata were walking home without Shino. Shino had said that he had some errands to do before going home, and said that they could go first. At first they declined, since it was really okay for them to tag along with Shino, not minding the time, but Shino insisted.

"I wonder what Shino's going to do," Kiba said, running his hand along his brown locks that were starting to get long again after the incident with the explosion. He was still getting bothered with the length, especially with how they were obstructing his view, but he was getting used to it bit by bit. "Maybe it's some secret clan thingies, that's why we can't come."

"Maybe it is," Hinata said. She was still getting used to how ticklish her hair was on her neck.

After a short silence, with both of them waiting to bring up something, Hinata finally spoke up.

"M-my father…" Kiba looked at Hinata, their pace slowing up a bit. "He talked to us about mother a few days ago."

"Did he eat something?"

"Huh?"

Kiba scratched his head. Sometimes, Hinata still did not understand his jokes. "I mean, he usually doesn't do that, right? So I was saying if he ate something for him to be like that. Like, poison or…. Forget it. It's hard to explain."

Hinata just giggled at him bailing out. "Hanabi asked him if he could talk about mother. I was surprised that he agreed."

"Well, that's good for her," Kiba smiled.

"It is. I'm glad. I think Hanabi feels better now, knowing about mother more. I mean, pictures aren't enough, right?"

Hinata noticed that Kiba's eyes had softened before going back to normal. "Yeah."

"Come to think of it… You never talk about you father that much, do you?" Hinata suddenly asked.

Kiba just let out a chuckle that sounded more like bitterness than genuine humor. "Do I?"

Despite being friends and teammates for a couple of years now, Hinata doesn't really know about Kiba at all, especially regarding his life. She knows what he is as a person, what he likes and dislikes, how he sleeps, how he trains, how he eats, how he has a habit of rubbing the back of his neck and, more recently, running his hand through his hair, but never an info about his family and whatnot. Hinata doesn't know anything about Tsume and Hana or how they spend their everyday life together. She doesn't know anything from Kiba's childhood before he entered the academy. Most of all, she doesn't know anything about Kiba's missing father.

There have been times when Kiba would mention it, like when he told her his reason for being a light sleeper. Sometimes, he would casually mention how his mother had scared his father away, with Hinata not knowing if that was a joke or not. Kiba's tone whenever he would mention his father had always been a mix of sadness and humor that she didn't know if he found the situation funny or not.

"You don't need to hear it," Kiba suddenly said, walking past Hinata.

"I want to hear it," she started to walk faster to catch up to him.

"You already have enough problems to deal with, Hinata."

"It doesn't matter."

"Just forget about it!"

The two of the stood still on the road. Hinata was surprised that Kiba had raised her voice at her, something that hasn't happened for a long time now. She stayed quiet, watching Kiba calm himself down as he bit down on his thumb. It must be a really sensitive topic for Kiba for him to act like this.

"Don't you trust me?" Hinata asked, her head down low.

"That's not the point."

"I don't…" she saw a blood drip onto the floor, knowing that it came from Kiba's finger, but continued on despite her worry. "I don't mind shouldering more burdens... especially if it's from you. Kiba, you're my friend. We've been teammates for how many years now, but I barely know anything about you. You always seem to be hiding something from me. You're always afraid of telling me about yourself and I don't even know why. It's really frustrating."

A cat meowed in the distance, but no one took notice.

"You've always listened and helped me with my problems. I just want to do the same," Hinata said. She just wanted to return the favor, for all the things Kiba had done for her. She had focused on her problematic life so much that she had failed to realize that there were other people who were in trouble as well.

For a few seconds, there was just silence between them, and Hinata had wondered if Kiba would suddenly just walk off, leaving her there. She wouldn't mind if he did, and if he ever did, she would never chase him. She would never ask him to come back, or force him to talk. If he needed time, then she'll understand. She realized that she may have been wrong to suddenly ask about Kiba's father like that out of the blue, and she deeply apologizes for that inside her head. She knew that it was a sensitive topic, but did not know how much it had affected her teammate.

"I can't talk to you about my father that much…" Kiba dropped his hands to his sides in defeat, him suddenly talking surprising Hinata, who was expecting him to call it quits. "Because I don't remember him myself. I just woke up one day and, poof, he was gone."

For a split second, Kiba had reverted to his young, child self in Hinata's eyes. He looked so small and fragile.

"For us Inuzukas, the smell of a person is the most important thing. It's what helps us remember a person, even if we don't remember their names or appearances," Kiba had paused for a bit, and Hinata wondered if perhaps he was at loss on what to say. "I still remember the scent of the person in our last mission, how she smelled like cherries and rice cakes, or that farmer who smelled like old cheese that we helped in our second mission when we were still genin, but… I don't remember my dad's."

"At all?" Hinata asked softly.

Kiba nodded weakly. "Without the scent, I can't remember who my dad was. I can't remember who he was or how he even looked like. There's some memories here and there, but his face is just blurred out."

"Don't you have pictures of your father at your home?"

The same bitter laugh came out. "I think my mom burned them all. Who knows?" He rubbed the part where he bit his thumb down. "Sometimes, my sister tells me about how my dad smelled like but… I just can't imagine it. It's really hard to imagine a scent with just words. When he left, there was still his scent all over the house, but it just disappeared day by day, along with my memories of him."

Hinata was suddenly reminded of Hanabi, and how her situation was becoming similar with Kiba's.

"Do you hate them?" she asked.

"Who?"

"Your parents…"

"What? No. Why would I? I can't hate my mom, no matter how annoying she is. I know that she's trying her best to take care of us. I can't hate my dad also since I don't really know why he left."

She watched Kiba look up at the sky, making her look up as well.

"I just feel… betrayed, I guess," he shrugged.

* * *

"You happy now?"

Hinata looked back at Kiba, who stood still on the street. They were just a few steps from the Hyuuga compound. It was the first thing he had said after the conversation they had a few minutes ago. They had walked in silence after that, with Hinata not knowing what to say. She really didn't know how to answer the question, not knowing if 'happy' was the right word to describe what she was feeling right now. Hinata just nodded, and that seemed to make Kiba content.

"Fun fact," Kiba spoke again. "That fight we had on the training grounds a few years ago… You know the reason I got slapped by mom?" Hinata shook her head. "I said that I'll runaway like dad if she doesn't shut up. No wonder she got mad."

"Is that really a 'fun' fact?" she asked with a smile on her face. Kiba just shrugged at her, making them both laugh.

…

…

She finally understood now.

It may have took her a long time, but Hinata finally understood now. She finally understood why Kiba had always laughed, smiled, or joked about his situation, no matter how dark or morbid it was. It didn't matter if he injured himself, almost lost his life due to a misstep, or if he had lost someone important in his life.

Making fun of everything was Kiba's way of coping. She might be wrong with her theory, but there was a possibility

"H-hinata?"

Maybe because it was for this reason that she had took a step forward, approaching Kiba who was starting to feel uncomfortable, finding her movements odd. Maybe it was for this reason that she had ignored how he had called her name out nervously, as she reached her arms out and held Kiba, putting his head onto her shoulders, embracing him gently. Maybe it was for this reason that she started apologizing, not knowing for what. Perhaps because she just hasn't realized how he was suffering as much as she did, and she didn't even do a damn thing for once. Maybe because she pitied him, or maybe it was because she thought that he might needed it. Or maybe it was _her_ who needed it.

Whatever it was, no matter how many maybes she had thought in her head, one thing was for sure – she just wanted to comfort him.

"You don't have to apologize, Hinata," his voice a little muffled, a little shaky. His words were ignored, as the two of them stood there in the dark.

Hinata hoped that time would stand still, just for tonight – unaware that the other was wishing for the same thing as well.

* * *

 **Congratulations. You've reached the end. Here's some eye drops.**

 **It's been more than a month since my last update, saying that I'll probably go back to updating weekly. Look how great that turned out. That is why, from now on, I would never, ever, say something like that ever again. I will never promise anything. College is hard. Life is hard. We always get dumped with homework. My thesis is next term. This fic will only update whenever I have time and energy. I'm sorry and thank you for understanding.**

 **Uh... please review? Please? Pretty please?**

 **Anyway, thank you, and see you next chapter~**


	9. Catch A Falling Star

**Here's Chapter 9. Enjoy.**

 **As always, thank you to people who took the time to follow, favorite, and of course, review this story. I always love reading your reviews because you guys sometimes makes me realize something in the story that I don't.**

 **Also, no need to apologize for bad English or bad spelling. I mean, I make mistakes too. I misspelled "sit" as "seat" in the last chapter, I think. I also referred to Kiba as a "her" I think at one time. And I don't have perfect grammar as well. So, no need to worry. Nobody is perfect, but that makes everyone unique, right?**

 **Okay. Let's go.**

* * *

Hinata was spacing out as she watered the Lilac plant that sat on her windowsill, the scenes of that night still replaying in her mind. She could still remember everything that had happened between Kiba and her; his tone as he spoke about his father that he could barely remember, how he sadly looked up at the night sky, hoping that, perhaps, his father was looking at them as well, and how his voice kind of cracked when she embraced him, trying to stop his emotions from overcoming him.

If Hinata could sum up her experience in one word, she would describe it as surreal.

She and Kiba are close, there's no doubt about that, but it does not mean that they are close _physically_. As much as they walked together, and as much as they talk together until the sun sets, physical contact was not really a thing between them. Sure they touched each other on the shoulder whenever they say compliments and encouragements, and sure Kiba had at least carried Hinata once or twice in their entire life due to an injury or something similar but, other than that, there's no intimate touching between them.

Hinata sighed as she put the water can down. What was she thinking? Of course there's no intimacy. It's not like they were more than friends and teammates. It's not like they're going to suddenly hold hands or something because that's going to be weird, right? There's a line that should not be crossed, and both of them knew that.

Maybe that was why it was so surreal. What she did that night was an odd experience because it was the first time that they had crossed the line. Almost everything Hinata did in her entire life, may it be asking for direction or an assistance in a shop, would require every ounce of courage she had in her body. That night however, her body just moved on its own with no care whatsoever, as if hugging each other was normal between them. It was the only thing she could think of doing to comfort him, and her body just responded to that.

It has already been a week since that night. She and Kiba haven't talked yet because of the latter being so busy lately, but Hinata wished that there was nothing more beyond that. She hoped that she hadn't destroyed anything that was between them, or that Kiba was avoiding her. She may have made their relationship a bit awkward, but she hoped that it wouldn't last long.

After making sure that she had not overwatered the plant, she went to the kitchen to get something to drink to calm her mind. Lately, all she had been doing was staying in her room and just think of that night. These were the rare times when she wished that she was given a mission, or anything that would just make her start thinking about other things.

She greeted Hanabi who just gave her a nod – which Hinata is already used to – as they passed each other in the hallway. Trying to choose between hot or cold tea, she decided to go with the former and started to boil the water. As she stood while waiting for the water to boil, she looked around the kitchen and remembered when Kiba and Shino went inside her home the first time. She could remember fumbling around that time as she tried to prepare them some snacks and drinks. It only took Kiba and Shino a few seconds to know that Hinata was absolutely helpless in the kitchen and decided to help her. With Kiba's nose, they found out that the tea that Hinata was looking for was on top of the refrigerator, courtesy of Hinata's father who was trying to hide it from everyone in the house.

Even now, she still couldn't help but laugh a little when she remembered how Kiba had tried to reach for the container to no avail, even if he was already on his toes. Shino reached it with ease, unknowingly hurting Kiba's pride. At least he had saved Kiba the embarrassment of grabbing a chair.

Still smiling to herself, Hinata tried to imagine Kiba doing the same thing with his height now. No doubt that he would reach it with ease unlike before. There was a time when she and Kiba were almost the same height, but that was only for a short while before he quickly grew up. Kiba wasn't really tall if you compare him to Shino, but he was tall enough for Hinata. He was just the right height for her to reach his head with her hands without tiptoeing.

Just like that night.

A blush crept up on her cheeks suddenly. She was thinking of him again.

Not that it's a bad thing.

* * *

Naruto cringed a bit when he saw Kiba get thrown away by the ANBU, hitting one of the boulders in the process. He backed away a bit, hiding behind one of the trees, and continued watching Kiba's training. The Inuzuka had been fighting several members of ANBU corps non-stop ever since Naruto got here. In fact, he may have been fighting _before_ he even got here. There were bloodstains all over the place, an evidence that they have been training in this location several times now. Naruto just wished that all of those weren't Kiba's blood because there were a _lot_.

His eyes widened when Kiba chuckled a bit, brushing off the injury as if it was nothing. He wiped away the blood that ran on the side of his mouth then quickly rushed forwards, using one of his signature technique, Passing Fang, targeting the same man who had just threw him away a few seconds ago. The ANBU prepared to block the attack, but was caught off-guard when Kiba had stopped his technique _just before_ it could hit the man, proceeding to just kick him instead, launching the man backwards.

Naruto was impressed, to say the least. Kiba had actually managed to fight back against one of the members of ANBU, considered as one of the strongest ninjas in Konoha. It may have been because he's been training with them for months now, hence his improved fighting capabilities, but still, it was impressive.

A loud cough suddenly came after, cutting Naruto's thoughts short. A whine came after that, obviously coming from Akamaru, who Naruto realized wasn't fighting beside Kiba for the entire time, then followed by several footsteps. Naruto whispered out Kiba's name in worry when he saw that Kiba had coughed up blood, coating the sandy ground in red. Even from his distance, he could hear him wheezing, forcing himself to cough up more.

"I'm fine. I'm fine," Kiba reassured the ANBU, while patting Akamaru on its head. "I can still go on."

Naruto wondered if they were training Kiba to fight alone, or how Kiba could still smile even if he was obviously already tired and hurt. Kiba's legs were trembling and judging by the way Kiba was opening and closing his hands, his hands might be in the same condition as well. Nonetheless, the training continued as if nothing had happened at all, and Naruto continued to watch from the background.

As Naruto continued to watch on, he started to realize that Kiba's movements were becoming faster, frantic, more unreadable, and just plain violent. He didn't hesitate to scratch or bite his mentors, didn't mind if they gave him a new sets of bruises, grazes, and wounds; he just attacked and attacked, with no care whatsoever. Blood started sputtering everywhere, only to be ignored and stepped on as the fighting continued.

He flinched and gasped when Kiba's knee hit the ANBU square on his chin, making him fall unconscious. The place went dead silent. Naruto saw how unfocused Kiba's eyes were, how his mouth turned into a grin that showed off his fangs, causing shivers to run down Naruto's back, before he launched himself onto the next training partner.

This was the first time that he had seen Kiba this violent and reckless in his entire life. When Naruto had fought Kiba during their first Chuunin exams, he did find him a little frightening due to his appearance, but this was different. He didn't know if it was because Kiba was assured that he could give and unleash everything he has since he was training with capable people. He did not know if it was just the Inuzuka blood that's running in his veins for Kiba to be this uncontrollable and feral, but whatever it was, it was getting out of hand. If Kiba alone could be this violent, Naruto wondered how worse it could be if Akamaru had joined him.

Akamaru then suddenly tackled Kiba on the ground out of nowhere, much to Naruto's surprise. The large dog then bit into Kiba's arm, eliciting a cry from the latter, making Naruto wonder if the dog suddenly snapped and started going against his master. The two of them thrashed around, with Kiba trying to brush Akamaru off of him, while Akamaru was trying his best to not let go. Despite Naruto's worry, he thought that this might be a common occurrence, judging from ANBU's reaction.

The two of them started to calm down after a while, and after a few more, Akamaru had decided to release Kiba. The Inuzuka was just lying on the ground, blankly staring at the sky, blood pooling under his arm, before standing up and called for a time out, heading towards a river near their location. Kiba was obviously upset, what with him looking down and running his hands on his face, but with what, Naruto did not really know. Was it because Akamaru had went against him? Was it because his fighting was not good? Or was it because he had totally lost control of himself?

Counting sixty seconds in his head, Naruto then decided to head where Kiba had went, pursuing his original objective which was to talk to Kiba. He had been so distracted and immersed with watching his training that he had almost completely forgotten what he went here for.

Upon arriving at the lake, he heard a loud hissing sound and a ragged breathing, knowing that it came from Kiba. Naruto saw that Kiba had took his top off and was dipping his arm in the river. There was a deep and large bite mark on it, and blood continued to seep out, the trails disappearing immediately in the water. Naruto couldn't help but cringe and tried to ignore the several bite marks on Kiba's arms that were similar to what he currently had.

"What do you want?" Kiba angrily said, not even looking back at Naruto who was suddenly surprised. He then spit some remaining blood in his mouth before standing up and wearing his top back.

Naruto laughed nervously, but quickly shut his mouth when he saw how unamused Kiba was. Kiba may have realized that Naruto was here all along due to his nose, which Naruto completely forgot about. "I just want to talk about something."

Kiba clicked his tongue in irritation and started to walk off. "I don't have time for this, Naruto."

"Wait!" Naruto called out, grabbing Kiba's arm to stop him, but immediately released him when he cried out in pain. Akamaru suddenly came rushing in, reacting to his master's voice, and was ready to attack Naruto who was suddenly panicking.

"Fucking hell, I don't want to talk right now-"

"It's about Hinata!"

Silence suddenly took over the two of them and Naruto, much to his relief, saw that Kiba had calmed down. Naruto realized that he should have just mentioned Hinata when Kiba had first asked to avoid the previous situation from happening. The least he wanted to happen right now was for Kiba to leave him and hate him for all eternity.

"What about her?"

"I, uh, I want to talk to her."

This immediately made Kiba furious again, as he told Akamaru to go back to the training grounds, which it immediately obeyed, and grabbed his things from the ground.

"Kiba, please!"

"Go talk to her yourself!" Kiba swiped away Naruto's approaching hand away from him.

"I need your help with this!" Naruto begged.

"Just go talk to her, dumbass! What's so hard with that?!"

Naruto tried his best to ignore the insult. "But she's always with you!" Naruto saw Kiba furrow his eyebrows, finding Naruto's statement ridiculous given their current situation. "I-if she's not with you," Naruto started again, "then she's with Shino! And if she's not with Shino, then she's with Kurenai-sensei. And if she's not with her, then she's at home. And if she's not home, then she's-"

"Alright, I get it!" Kiba exclaimed, kicking Naruto lightly to make him get up from the ground, urging him to stand up. Naruto hadn't realized that he had knelt down in front of Kiba. "I get it…" he trailed off.

When Naruto had decided to talk to Kiba about Hinata, he wasn't really sure if Kiba would agree, considering his overprotective nature towards the Hyuuga. Naruto had actually thought of approaching Shino first because he couldn't find Kiba anywhere, but found him hard to ask because they weren't really that close and, for some reason, Shino had a grudge on him. Kurenai was a little risky since she was really perceptive, and Naruto was afraid that she might ask even more questions. He actually had to ask Kakashi where the ANBU usually trained to find Kiba. He was the safest option to go to since he and Kiba had a history when they were younger, and they have cooperated many times due to work, especially when they went looking for Sasuke.

Because of that mission, Naruto felt that he owed a lot to Kiba because he had agreed to participate in the mission to find Sasuke – even though Naruto himself knew that Kiba only went because he had nothing better to do. Naruto was still feeling guilty of what happened to him, along with the others who joined that time, because they have almost lost their lives for something that they weren't even involved in. It was a problem between him and Sasuke and yet, they have wagered their lives on it. Naruto couldn't imagine facing their family and friends if they have died back then.

Because of that mission, Naruto felt so much gratitude towards Kiba. Kiba may not think too much about Naruto, but for Naruto, Kiba was one of his most important friends due to that incident.

Naruto watched Kiba hold up his fingers and started counting quietly, wondering what he was counting about. He could barely hear what Kiba was whispering to himself despite their distance.

"Are you available two weeks from now?" Kiba asked, shoving his hands to his pockets.

"Two wee-," Naruto coughed, "Y-yeah! Two weeks? Yeah, I'm available! It really doesn't matter if it's three or four or a month. I'm always free so don't worry!"

Sighing, Kiba continued. "Whatever. Anyway, two weeks from now, Shino, Hinata, and I would meet. Just a simple get together. Nothing much. We usually go home after sunset, and we walk Hinata home before ourselves. However, on that day, Shino and I will just pretend that we have something else to do, meaning that we can't walk her home. This is where you'll come in."

"So, I have to walk her home?" Naruto questioned.

Kiba lazily nodded. "Just pass by our training grounds or something. We'll just entrust her to you, and that's that. Simple. Clear. Done." Kiba then ran his hand through his hair. "To be honest, I really don't want to give you any time or day because we rarely meet these days but," Kiba shrugged to himself as he grabbed his things. "Just make sure you'll be there because if you don't, then I won't help you the next time."

"You… You're not gonna ask what I want to talk to her about?" Naruto called out to Kiba.

"Do you think that I care?" Kiba replied, after a short pause.

"Well, yeah. I mean, aren't you curious or something?"

Kiba stared at Naruto before smiling.

"It's none of my business."

* * *

Being the elder sibling was not an easy task. Not only do you have to be responsible to the younger sibling, but you also have to be responsible to yourself as well to set a good example. You have to become mature, to show authority over the younger sibling, establish yourself as the older one and thus, must be respected. You have to be understanding and supportive towards them, helping them along as they go through the things you also have been through. Impart the knowledge and experience to guide them through their life. For her, that is what being an elder sibling is.

When Hana had first held Kiba in her arms, she could remember how heavy he had weighed even though he was small. Then again, she was small that time as well so that might be the reason why he was heavy in her arms. The new addition to the family made her feel a mix of jealousy and amazement, reminding herself at the same time that she had to share the attention she gets from their parents.

As they grew older, Hana had tried her best to become the best sister towards Kiba. She would share even if sometimes, she didn't want to. She would play with him even if she had other more important things to do. She would talk to him about the academy and, eventually, the life of a ninja, even if her body already begged for sleep. They would scheme together, earning them a scolding from their parents. Every time she would come home from the academy, she would always bring back a pack of beef jerky for Kiba, just because she knew that it was his favorite.

When their father had suddenly left, Hana was suddenly lost on what to do. Not only does she not know what to do with herself, but she also did not know what to do with Kiba. Even if she felt devastated about the disappearance of their father, it must have been incomparable to what Kiba had felt. Their mother barely talking about it no matter how much they asked was not helping at all. The only thing Hana thought of doing was to talk and comfort her brother as best as she can. Make him understand so that he would not come to hate his parents, especially his father.

It was at this moment when Hana had started to take another role unconsciously. She started to become some sort of a substitute mother towards Kiba. Due to Tsume working twice as hard to be able to support them, Hana and Kiba were alone together most of the time. Hana had to learn how to cook while also balancing her life, as well as taking care if Kiba without any help whatsoever. She was just thankful that her teachers were understanding of her situation. She was also thankful that Kiba was at least cooperative, somehow understanding their situation at his young age.

Though their mother's frequent absence in their life was a bit saddening, they somehow made it through, and it's not like Tsume had completely neglected them. She was just busy. Whenever Tsume was home, she would take care of them anyway so they really don't have any problems with her being always away. Tsume would sometimes even apologize to Hana for dumping her with so much responsibilities, but Hana completely understood her. After being the one who took care of the house, the family, and somehow even her career, Hana understood a bit of how hard being a mother is.

Perhaps, it was Kiba who was more problematic than their mother. Although his behavior did not change much in the house, being the annoying but playful boy he is, it was his behavior outside the house that was different. Hana could barely count how many times Iruka had talked to her about Kiba on how inattentive he is, opting to sleep in class rather than participate. He had even escaped from the window, tagging along with Shikamaru, Choji, and Naruto. Although his grades weren't enough to label him as "dead last" since that title belongs to Naruto, he was there at the bottom of the list.

Hana somehow tried to understand Kiba since she knows that Kiba was not the type of person who is willing to just sit and wait. She was the same as well. In fact, all Inuzukas are. They were born to run wild and free. But there was also such a thing called "control" and that was what Kiba had lacked. She didn't know if he was just pushing his freedom to limits, just plainly having fun, or just wanted attention.

Looking back, Hana thinks that she might have done something wrong when she took over raising Kiba in place of their mother. She barely scolded him or even taught him anything. She just assumed that he was perfectly fine because she herself grew up fine and well. Maybe she should have been more strict, or maybe she should have bonded with him more to satisfy his need for attention. Although he seems to have moved on from that phase after growing up, there were just times when she would question herself still.

Hana looked at her brother's face as she wrapped a bandage around his arm. Kiba was frowning, looking down and staring at his hand, while seemingly biting the inside of his mouth whenever the bandage touched his wound. Her eyes went towards Akamaru who was lying on the floor, looking over at his master with worry.

"I guess it wasn't a good day today, huh?" she said with a light teasing tone, trying to brighten up Kiba's mood, and the atmosphere of the house overall. Kiba glanced up towards her, his eyes peeking over his bangs before nodding weakly, looking back down again.

She sighed quietly to herself, applying the finishing touches to the arm. Times like these was what she hated the most. She was so used to Kiba being loud and energetic that she doesn't know what to do when he's down and quiet. His refusal to even talk about it would frustrate her so much because she did not know if she would ask him first or just wait for him to talk first. Although she had an idea that Kiba's mood did not just involve Akamaru biting him. The incident had happened so many times in their lives that it was impossible for it to become an issue now.

Should she talk to him? But what if he just shuts her down, or worst, make him feel even worse? Would that make him think of her as being nosy? Should she leave him alone then? But what if _that_ makes him feel worse? Or yet, what if that makes Kiba hate her because she didn't even attempt to help him, or question why he was down? They were siblings and yet, Hana doesn't know how to help him. Should she act motherly or sisterly? Should she interfere or just offer generic supportive and encouraging words without asking what the problem was? Should she tease him until he takes the bait?

"Hey," Kiba softly said, poking Hana's forehead. "What's wrong?"

She continued to stare at him, her hand going to the exact point where Kiba had poked her, wondering if she should be offended or not.

Kiba sighed to himself, continuing to wrap the bandage onto his arm where Hana had suddenly stopped doing without realizing. Hana's eyes followed his hand grab the scissors and cut the bandage, realizing that the way Kiba had bandaged himself was the exact same way Hana had taught to him before. She didn't know that he had remembered it. "You know, if you have something you're worried about, you can talk to me about it. I might be not the elder sibling, but it doesn't mean that you can't talk to me about your problems."

Their eyes met for a few seconds, before Hana started to laugh. She ruffled Kiba's hair, while Kiba tried to brush her hand away from his head. She didn't know if she was laughing at Kiba's hypocrisy since he himself doesn't share his problems, or the fact that she had spaced out, or that she has been thinking too much about her role as a sister or a mother, when it was pretty clear that it doesn't really matter to Kiba. Maybe because for him, Hana was everything. She wasn't just his sister or a mother-figure. She was also his friend, partner, and a person that he treasured.

Even though Hana was the elder sibling, sometimes she felt like she was the younger one.

* * *

Hinata crouched down, looking at Kiba who was lying down on the grass, sleeping peacefully. It was just a coincidence that she chanced upon him on her way home from the supermarket, and she was glad that she had seen him even from the distance. It's been weeks since they last saw each other. Hinata knows that he was busy with training, especially since he's making a big jump from Chuunin to ANBU, but she wished that he could have visited her at least once or twice. Even a single minute was enough for her.

She wondered if his arms didn't feel tired the way they are under his head for who knows how long. She glanced at Akamaru who was awake now, but stayed quiet, waiting for his master to wake up. He really must be tired for him to not even realize her presence. Looking through the plastic bag she held, she brought out a can of drink that she bought for Hanabi. Taking another look inside the plastic bag, she decided to just give her own drink to Hanabi instead to replace it.

"Hi," Hinata softly said, brushing away the stray hair and putting it behind her ears, her face inching a bit closer towards Kiba's. She let the cold can touch his cheek, making Kiba open his eyes and look up to her slowly, that itself making Hinata smile. "Why are you sleeping here this late at night?"

She backed away a bit, watching Kiba sit up and ruffle his hair, somehow still looking normal on him despite how messy it was. She giggled a bit as she removed some grass that got stuck on his hair before handing him the drink. He hesitates a bit first, looking at Hinata for confirmation, before accepting it.

"I just… fell asleep," Kiba said, opening up the can and taking a sip. Hinata noticed that there were bandages on his arms that weren't there the last time they met but brushed it off, knowing that it just came from the harsh training he gets. She seemed to have gotten used to that fact already. "How about you? Why are you out this late at night?

"I was about to go home," she said, holding up the plastic bag to indicate that she went out to buy something. She eventually knelt down on the grass, not minding that it would make her clothes a bit dirty, and looked up at the dark sky above them. No wonder that Kiba had slept in a place like this. The combination of the occasional cool wind that blows and the starry sky above them would no doubt make you feel relaxed.

"Hey," Kiba suddenly called out to her. "Do you have some time right now?"

Hinata thought for a minute. "Maybe? I'm not really in a rush."

Silence took over them, as Kiba looked at Akamaru who seems to be waiting orders from him. "You want to go somewhere?"

"Where?"

"Yes or no?"

Their eyes met and Hinata could feel her cheeks burning up. Even if her usual instinct when she meets someone's eyes is to look down, she couldn't do so. Or maybe, she didn't want to. For some odd reason, the way Kiba was looking at her right now was different from the usual. She couldn't really describe it well, but it was as if this was the last time that they'll meet again after another while. It was as if he was longing for her, though that might be because she was thinking too much on it.

With one last look before looking down to hide her blushing face, she nodded.

* * *

Hiashi peeked out from his room to check whoever was causing the sound of running footsteps in the house. The ruckus was heavily distracting him from his work. He could hear the voices of his two daughters speaking, or rather, one of them was shouting a little bit. As he approached their front door where the voices was coming from, he saw Hinata and Hanabi whispering to each other, though it was more of a loud whisper than a quiet one.

"Is there something wrong?" Hiashi asked, surprising both of his daughters.

"N-no, I… uhm," his eldest daughter lost the words to speak. Hanabi crossed her arms and looked down, unable to look at their father in his eyes. Hinata started fidgeting, occasionally glancing back at the opened door. Hiashi's eyes followed where Hinata was looking, only to see Kiba in front of their gate. Their eyes met and, to the surprise of Hiashi, the young Inuzuka bowed his head at him.

"I just have to go out for a while," Hinata finally managed to say. Hiashi's eyes met with Hinata before she quickly looked down to avoid his gaze.

"This late at night?"

Hinata hesitantly nodded.

Hiashi sighed to himself as he looked at Kiba again. It's not like he did not trust the Inuzuka at all. In fact, it was the total opposite. Being the teammate of his daughter, as well as his frequent visits to the compound, Kiba became one of the people Hiashi had complete trust on when it comes to his daughter. He had seen him grow up, become mature, and go up ranks along with Hinata. He saw how Kiba had taken care of his daughter, helping her along when Hiashi himself had abandoned her. Though the boy was a little loud than necessary and a little disrespectful at times – though Hiashi knew it was just his nature and not on purpose – he was kind enough to watch over Hinata. Kiba would never allow anything bad to happen to Hinata.

"Alright," Hiashi said. "Just be safe."

Hinata furiously nodded and said goodbye as she headed off outside and met with her teammate.

* * *

If Hinata could literally describe what she was currently seeing, she would say 'sea of stars' – or rather, a lake. Kiba had brought her to a large lake that perfectly reflected the starry sky as if it was a mirror. There were stars below her and above her. She felt like she was in a galaxy.

Kiba had sat down near the edge of the lake, taking off his sandals and dipping his feet into the lake. The Inuzuka was eerily quiet as he sat quietly, looking up above the stars while slowly swinging his feet, creating splashing sounds that were oddly calming. Akamaru, on the other hand, lied down on the grass and slept, probably tired from carrying two people on its back which it was unused to.

After some moments of gazing the scenery, she went off to Kiba's side to join him, sitting down and taking off her shoes as well and dipping them into the lake. She gasped a bit when the cold water touched her skin, earning a quiet chuckle from Kiba which he hid immediately, pretending as if he didn't even laugh. She just smiled, a bit embarrassed, and continued dipping her feet into the lake.

Usually, silence like this would make her feel awkward, unable to think of what to say or do. It probably had to do with the fact that she was with Kiba, the person that she doesn't mind spending her time with, no matter if they just stared at the blank piece of paper or just sitting together, doing nothing at all. It was really comforting, sitting beside him, their pinky fingers barely grazing each other, afraid to move closer and yet, obviously wanting more.

It was the same feeling she had when she rode on Akamaru's back, while she held onto Kiba's back so that she wouldn't fall. She was feeling scared and nervous, constantly worrying about the dangers. But at the same time, it was oddly comforting and somewhat exciting; but most of all, she felt safe. She knew that, despite her worries, Kiba would not allow for her to fall off. Even if she was clenching his clothes, she could feel the warmth coming off from him, and the more she felt when she leaned her head onto his back. She could hear how he breathed and how his heartbeat was fast like hers.

Looking at their hands that barely touched and then at Kiba, she inched closer to him then leaned her head onto his shoulders. She felt him flinch a bit, how his breathing had hitched, and was about to take her head back, but decided to stay when he said nothing. Kiba may have thought that it was just an innocent action, but Hinata knew, as much as she didn't want to admit it, that it was something more. That this was more than just an action between friends, and only Hinata knew it.

"You're awfully quiet," she said in a quiet tone. She looked up to him, only to see that he was looking at her as well, their faces just inches between them. "Are you tired?"

He stared at her, as she drowned in his eyes, noticing that he was thinking – thinking of a response. He opened his mouth, about to say something, before closing it off then looking back at the lake, nodding. It might be Hinata's imagination, but she felt like Kiba was looking at her lips for a moment.

"Training?" she suggested.

"Life," he simply stated before laughing it off after noticing that Hinata was taken aback. "Just kidding. Yeah. Training's harsh these days."

Their eyes met again, their faces within inches of each other again. Kiba had looked down, looking down at their hands, then faced his palms upward. She looked at it for a moment, a blush rising up her cheeks, her heartbeat fast, before placing her hand on his warm and big hand. The fingers clasped together, a perfect fit despite the size difference, his warmth transferring over to her small and delicate hands.

It was supposed to be innocent. It was just something between friends, but both of them knew that they were going far beyond that. It was more than that and both of them were aware, but was just afraid to take action. Too afraid to say, only able to think. Both of them were crossing the line so much that there was barely any line to begin with.

Despite the warmth that she could feel throughout her body, Hinata couldn't help but feel a slight hint of sadness.

Not from her, but from him.

* * *

"What?"

Hinata watched Kiba turn his back to her as he went to grab his things from under the tree.

"We're sorry but, you have to go home alone tonight, Hinata. We just have some important things to do. I have clan duties while Kiba," Shino looked at Kiba, waiting for him to respond.

The Inuzuka glared at Shino for a split second, before looking at Hinata, then looking back down. "I need to meet someone," he said. His tone and mannerisms showed that he was definitely lying, that he will not meet someone after this, but Hinata was so confused with the situation that she barely even noticed it.

Hinata let out a disappointed "oh", finding the silence rather a bit awkward, something that doesn't happen within Team 8. "Alright. I guess this is-"

"Hey guys!"

She turned around quickly, reacting to the voice that suddenly came up, knowing who it was from. Naruto was approaching them, waving and smiling from ear to ear, the sunset matching his orange overalls, his sunny disposition somehow not affecting her mood of disappointment at all.

Hinata watched as Naruto conversed with Kiba and Shino, and sometimes her, and finding a bit odd that Naruto was here in their training area. Rarely do people pass by this area, which was why they even picked this location in the first place so that they could train their tracking abilities properly without interference. She brushed these doubts off, labeling them as coincidence, as she kept on listening to the conversation that she could not really relate to.

"Hey, Naruto," Kiba said, cutting the conversation short. "Can you walk Hinata home? Shino and I unfortunately couldn't because of some errands."

"Wait, no, I'm fine! I can walk by my own. I can handle myself. I'm a kunoichi so," Hinata started blubbering, making up excuses. She didn't really understand why she kept making excuses, when these excuses themselves even applied to Shino and Kiba.

"Yeah, sure," Naruto shrugged, ignoring Hinata's pleas. "I'm fine with it."

"Alrighty then. Bye Hinata!" Kiba said, shoving his hands into his pockets and giving her a wide smile that showed off his fangs.

"But-"

"We'll see again soon," Shino simply said, cutting her off.

Hinata looked back at Naruto who was waiting patiently for her, before weakly nodding at Shino and said good bye to them.

* * *

"Are you really okay with this?"

Shino watched as Naruto and Hinata turned on the corner, disappearing in their sights. He looked at Kiba's back, the Inuzuka still watching the road beyond them, with his hands still shoved into his pockets. As soon as he was done speaking, Kiba had paused for a moment, before turning to face Shino.

"What are you talking about? Of course I'm fine with it."

And for the first time in his life, Shino did not want to look at Kiba's eyes. He did not want to face him, period. Because as much as Kiba tried to smile and brush it off, his eyes held what he truly thought. Shino looked down, glad that his sunglasses covered his eyes. He had to ignore Kiba. He _needed_ to ignore Kiba. He did not want to see the expression on his teammate's face, because Shino knew that he might do something that he would really regret throughout his life.

He just wanted both of his friends to be happy, but he had to accept that only one could achieve that happiness.

* * *

 **Congratulations. You've reached the end. Here's some apples.**

 **Uh. Reviews? Please? Pretty please with cherries on top?**

 **Anyway, happy holidays, thank you, and see you next chapter~**


	10. Delayed

**Here's Chapter 10. Enjoy.**

 **Thank you to my readers, especially to those who reviewed, followed, or favorited this story. I will always love you.**

 **Okay. Let's go.**

* * *

Ever since Hinata and Naruto parted ways with Kiba and Shino, the blond has been talking nonstop about things that, to be honest, she really couldn't understand that much – or relate to. It was enjoyable at first, how Naruto talked about how Hinata used to be timid compared to how she is now – still shy but more confident. How his first impression of Hinata was that she was weird, to which she laughed at, not offended by his comment at all. It wasn't something that was new to her at all. Even _she_ thought that she was a little weird.

However, as more time passes between them, Hinata was just getting fed up. It's obvious that Naruto couldn't spit out something and thus, bringing out topics to stray away from it. Some of the things he talked about were interesting, such as his training with Jiraiya, or the one with the host of the Eight Tails. But other than that, it just kind of bored her a little. Just a little. And that's saying a lot considering that it's Naruto she's talking about.

It was odd, now that she's thinking about it. Before, she used to dream about this. To be walking with Naruto. To be beside Naruto and not hiding away from him. To be able to talk to him casually, being comfortable with each other. It was her dream. And yet, now that it's happening, she doesn't feel anything special at all. All she could feel was the awkwardness between them. Even looking at Naruto doesn't help her at all. Just awkwardness and nothing.

Perhaps, 'nothing' was too strong of a word to describe what Hinata was feeling right now. She doesn't _literally_ feel nothing. Hinata does feel _something_ towards Naruto, but it was so different from what she used to feel towards him that it kind of feels empty. It's the same feeling she has when she's with Shikamaru or Tenten. The same feeling she was when she talks with Ino or Lee. It was the same comfortability she has with Shino.

Hinata was starting to see and treat Naruto as a friend, rather than someone she loves.

Glancing at Naruto's smiling face as he talked about his adventures, Hinata wonders how easy she could even think of something like that. She used to believe that it was impossible for her feelings towards Naruto to disappear since she liked him before they even graduated the Academy. She liked him because of his determination, his strength, his _everything._ And yet, where did it went wrong?

Perhaps it was because of his absence for two years? But that couldn't be it. She could still remember how she had fainted in front of Kiba and Naruto (and Shino). She could still remember the excitement in her heart, and the butterflies in her stomach when she saw those familiar blond hair and his signature orange color. There was no doubt that Hinata still liked Naruto at that time.

Was it after Pain had invaded the village? She had confessed her love to him and sacrificed her life to protect him. She had been revived, for a mysterious reason, but never did she receive any kind of response from him. And to be honest, she doesn't really mind it that much. She was just happy that everything and everyone was safe. She was happy for Naruto, because he finally got acknowledged by the whole village, something that he truly wished for a long time.

Or perhaps, she just started to focus on other things in her life. That her whole world just doesn't revolve around Naruto anymore.

Hinata doesn't really want to say that she has 'fallen out of love' to Naruto. She still liked him, but not as much as before. It was not the same as before. He just stood at the same level as Choji, Shikamaru, and the other rookies.

"Naruto-kun?"

As soon as Naruto heard her voice, he stopped in his tracks and turned his head to face her.

"You have something to say, right?" Hinata said, noticing Naruto's eyes widening a little, perhaps surprised that she had realized.

"Oh, uhm…" Naruto scratched his head, unable to find the words to say. She could see that he was taken aback, and she wanted to apologize for surprising him. Maybe he wasn't prepared yet to tell her about it. It was probably a first for Hinata to see Naruto so lost on what to say.

"I-I just…," Naruto bit his lip, "I really don't know how to say this."

"It's fine. Just say it in any way you want," Hinata smiled.

Their eyes met for a moment, her noticing that Naruto was looking at her apologetically. His blue eyes had a hint of pity in them, and Hinata realized, that she knew what Naruto was going to say. It was the answer she waiting for a long time.

"Hinata, about your confession from before, I just want to say that… I'm really sorry," Naruto lowered his head. "I tried my best but, I-I just can't see you anything more than a friend."

His answer was what she had expected. Of course. Naruto liked Sakura. And besides, she had barely interacted with Naruto, not even taking time to know about him more instead of watching him from afar. She was too afraid to speak to him and didn't really had any initiative to approach him.

Her reaction, however, was something that was unexpected. She had expected something more. Like tears. Or her stomach dropping down. Her everything, just breaking down in an instant. But she didn't get anything. If anything, she was surprisingly calm. Was it acceptance? Reassurance? She didn't know.

Naruto's answer had become some sort of closure to her, instead of something that could break her apart.

"You could have said it sooner," Hinata said, half-jokingly. "But I know you were busy with everything," she cut him off before he could speak.

"I'm really sorry," Naruto said quietly, his voice showing a lot of regret.

"I'm sorry too… It must have been such a burden to carry." Hinata started to feel guilty. She didn't even consider that Naruto already had too much to deal with, especially when in regards to Sasuke. Not only did he had to worry about Sasuke, his promise to Sakura, and the fate of the world, he also had to worry about Hinata.

"It's not a burden. Promise," he said, giving a weak smile.

"Naruto-kun?" she spoke after a long pause between them.

"Hm?"

"…Thank you."

"W-what for?" he asked.

"Just… everything," Hinata smiled. "Thank you for serving as an inspiration for me. Thank you for showing me that anything is possible. Thank you for being so kind to me, for cheering me on during my fight with Neji, for encouraging me, for calling me strong. You were one of the people that helped push me into the right path. One of the reasons why I was able to get strong, and still improving. One of the few that never gave up on me, no matter how hopeless I was. And thank you, for finally giving a response."

"It wasn't a good one though," Naruto said in a quiet, almost whispering tone.

She laughed. "It's alright. I don't really mind it. Maybe before, I would have cried, but…"

An image of a certain brunet appeared in her mind, making her smile.

"It's different now."

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want me to walk with you to your house?" Naruto asked once again, just after they bid farewell with each other.

Hinata looked at the dimly lit street and nodded at Naruto with a smile on her face. "I can handle it, don't worry. There's only a few steps left anyway."

"If you say so," Naruto shrugged as he chuckled a little. He gave one last look at Hinata, who was waiting patiently if he has anything more to say, which he indeed did. "You know…?"

"What?"

"I think Kiba likes you," Naruto said nonchalantly.

The silence that took over the two of them was pretty noticeable. It was as if time suddenly stood still. Hinata stood there, looking at Naruto like a deer caught in the headlights, while Naruto was just looking at Hinata, amused at the quickly rising blush on her face.

"W-w-w-what are you talking about? T-t-that can't be t-true…!" she exclaimed as she put her hands on her face, trying to cover her beet red face. She didn't even care that her stuttering came back all of a sudden. The sound of Naruto laughing at her reaction just made her feel even worse.

"I'm just saying," Naruto wiped a tear from his eyes. "Don't take my word on it. I'm not sure either. But I _feel_ it," he explained, emphasizing the word 'feel' in his sentence. "I mean, he's always nice to you."

"T-that's normal."

"Well, compared to how he is with Ino and Sakura, it's not normal."

Hinata took a moment to think about all the things Kiba had done to her but, she really didn't understand how Naruto could come to the conclusion by basing it from his kindness to her. Kiba had always been nice. He had a short fuse, true, but there was still kindness inside him. No matter how much she tries to look at it in a different angle, she just can't come to the same conclusion that Naruto arrived to.

"Maybe you don't notice it, but I do. It's really subtle," Naruto said, noticing that Hinata was confused. "Like I said, don't take my word on it. I might be wrong. Maybe I'm just looking too much into it."

"Maybe it is," Hinata said, laughing a bit.

"Anyway, I'll see you soon, Hinata," Naruto started to walk. "Bye!"

HInata smiled, as she watched Naruto's back getting further and further away.

"Goodbye…. Naruto-kun."

* * *

Hinata squinted her eyes a bit, spotting someone standing in front of the gates of her home, trying to see who it was and wondering what he or she wanted. As she got closer and closer, her eyes immediately widened, and she quickly hid behind one of the poles on the street, trying to hide her presence. She could feel her heart beating fast, and she bit her lip, trying to stop herself from making any noise whatsoever. She took a quick peek, the words of Naruto replaying again and again inside her mind, and at the same time, wondering why she even hid in the first place.

After all, it was just Kiba.

She put her hand on her chest, feeling the strong beating through her clothes. She could even _hear_ it beating. Trying to calm herself down, she took a deep breath in, and exhaled as quietly as she could, praying to the lord above that Kiba doesn't notice her. But then again, considering his heightened nose, it was a prayer for naught.

Taking another deep breath in, Hinata took another peek at him, noticing that Kiba hadn't moved an inch from his position. He didn't move a single bit from the time she first saw him. He was just there, standing, looking at her home. It was like he didn't even notice Hinata at all. Was he waiting for her? That couldn't be, right?

Hinata resisted the urge to pinch her cheek. Perhaps, what Naruto said about Kiba was affecting her too much. It affected her so much that she even hid from him. Hinata had never done that in her entire life until now. Why was she hiding from him anyway? She tried to think up an answer, but couldn't find one that didn't sound ridiculous or idiotic.

Gulping down her nervousness, she tried to step out from her hiding place – if you can even call it that – but her feet refused to move. She couldn't do it. Was she afraid of Kiba? No, that couldn't be it. There was no reason for her to be afraid of him. She was surprised, yes, but not afraid.

She was just shy to approach him.

For the first time, Hinata wanted her long hair back, because she wanted to cover her face with it. She could just feel the blush creping upon her face. She could feel herself heating up. The only thing she could do was shut her eyes tight, begging herself to just calm down and act natural.

But natural was too difficult. She couldn't even remember what being 'natural' is. This wasn't how she was like when she was with Kiba. This was how she was like with Naruto before! Just hiding, afraid to show her face, afraid to approach, afraid to talk, but at the same time, wanting to do the opposite of those things. A mixture of complicated feelings. A combination of desire and fear.

"Hinata?"

Kiba's sudden voice, with his face just inches between hers, as he looked at her questionably, made her heart stop. His shadow looming over her, blocking the lights from the lampposts with his height, as their eyes met. Hinata's lips opened a bit, as if she was trying to say something, but nothing came out from her mouth. Her fingers were trembling, her lips drying a bit, making her lick it and noticing that it had caught Kiba's attention, which just made her nervous even more.

"What are you doing there?" he asked, finally stepping a bit back to give Hinata some personal space that she didn't know if she wanted or not.

"O-oh…" Hinata was at loss with her words. Her mind was just not working properly today. "Uhm," she held her hands, trying to stop it from trembling. "I, uhm," she took a glance at Kiba, before looking back down, "N-nothing…"

It was a really unconvincing answer. It wasn't even understandable. It was stupid. It was ridiculous. It was pathetic. It wasn't even an answer – if you can even call it that to begin with. But it was the first thing that came up in her mind. She didn't want to say that she was hiding from him, because that would just raise more questions that she was sure she would never be able to answer.

"So, how did it go with Naruto?" he said in a light, teasing tone, with a cunning smile on his face.

Hinata paused for a moment, looking at Kiba who was just smiling at her, and thanked the gods above that Kiba was a bit of an idiot to notice that she was reacting weirdly when he got close to her. She sighed loudly, noticing Kiba's worried look when she did so, and gave him a smile.

"I got rejected," she simply said.

"Oh." The Inuzuka looked around, from the ground, to his left, and rubbed the back of his neck, obviously uncomfortable. "I-I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. I'm fine, don't worry," she giggled.

"You sure? I could treat you to something right now, if you want." He took a moment to think. "But I think most of the stores are closed by this time so, maybe tomorrow."

"It's okay. Really," she reassured him, appreciating the offer from him.

There was a few seconds of silence between them, until Hinata spoke again.

"What were you doing there anyway?" she asked.

"I was just checking if you were home," he quickly answered. It was as if he already had an answer ready in case she asked. It was as if he had prepared it, because the actual reason was different. But she was probably thinking too much into it.

"You know," Hinata started, as Kiba leaned his back onto the same pole she had hid behind on. "Naruto-kun said something really interesting to me."

Kiba turned his head to look at Hinata.

"He said that you liked me."

Both of them looked at each other's eyes, one surprised, and the other was filled with questions. Hinata was waiting for Kiba to react, just even a single reaction, but Kiba didn't show anything. He just stared at her, as if he was thinking.

Eventually, he chuckled. It sounded more like he was ridiculed by her question rather than finding it funny.

"What the hell is that idiot saying…." He said, barely loud enough for her to hear.

"So, it's not true?" she asked.

"Of course not."

She couldn't help but smile at his answer. She couldn't help but to giggle, or laugh at it, making Kiba look at her once again, with the same questioning look on his face.

"What's funny?" he asked.

"I don't know. I guess I find being rejected by two people on the same day a bit funny."

"…I don't understand."

She doesn't understand either. All these emotions she was feeling right now, it was supposed to happen when Naruto rejected her. But it didn't. Instead, it was happening right now. She tries to brush it off as a delayed reaction from Naruto's response, but the fact that it came as soon as Kiba had answered, made it impossible to think of it as such. It was definitely because of Kiba confirming that she did not like him.

Today was a weird day for her. It was weird that she did not even feel a single drop of sadness when Naruto rejected her. It was weird when Kiba's face came up when she thought of why she didn't care about the rejection. It was weird that she had asked Kiba if he liked her, when she even knew the answer in the first place. It was as if she wanted for him to answer differently, something that wasn't what she expected. It was as if she wanted for him to confirm what Naruto had told her about him.

Everything that she used to feel for Naruto, was now what she feels towards Kiba. Those all too familiar feelings, were now directed towards a different person. All the nervousness, wants, desires, fear, happiness, sadness, and just about everything. She wanted to feel close to him, impress him, and just be beside him. All those jealousy she felt for Sakura, all those efforts she did for Kiba to notice her, all these things that she didn't even do for him before. She questioned them before but couldn't find the answer to them. But now, she could.

She liked him.

It was as simple as that.

She liked him.

Just the thought of it, just knowing, just realizing it, felt so freeing.

She _liked_ him.

"I like you, Kiba-kun."

* * *

When Kiba had first met Hinata at the Academy, she didn't really leave him any impression. In fact, if he could be really honest, he actually couldn't remember Hinata at all. He couldn't remember what she looked like, what she did, how she acted, and just about everything. She existed in his academy life, sure, but that was just because he could _barely_ notice her scent amongst the many children in the room. And the only reason he could even remember her scent is because he is currently teammates with her.

In short, Hinata was someone that he did not took interest in.

Who could blame him? Hinata was quiet, shy, and timid. She didn't do anything impressive, or anything that would cause a commotion. She was a wallflower. She barely interacted with anyone, unless it was a group work. Kiba also found her a bit boring. If he didn't have his sensitive nose, he was sure that he would forget about her existence altogether.

It all changed however when he was teamed up with her. At first, he kept cursing at his teacher for making him team up with not one, but _two_ of the most quiet people in their class. However, he was at least thankful for Shino because, even though the Aburame was a bit grating at times, he still considered him as a strong, formidable ally.

Hinata, on the other hand, was a different story. He tried to dig deep into his memory, just something that would make him think of anything positive of her other than her shyness and low confidence, but came up with none. It was probably because he barely knew her – or even notice her throughout their days in the Academy. Deciding that this was something that shouldn't go on, Kiba made it his personal mission to at least know more about Hinata, so that they could function well as a team.

Eventually, as they started to get a hang of each other, Kiba was starting to see the negative side of Hinata as something interesting. She was shy, weak-willed, afraid, and self-conscious, but that was what made her interesting for him. Hinata was different from Tsume, Hana, and Kurenai – three women that were a big part of Kiba's life. She was different from Ino and Sakura, who were both confident and a bit arrogant.

She was different from them, and that made her interesting for him. And perhaps, because of Hinata's personality, Kiba couldn't help but to feel overprotective of her. It was probably his instinct as an Inuzuka reacting, or maybe because he just wanted to assert his dominance. All in all, he just wanted to protect her from harm, but at the same time, encouraging her to become stronger.

As more time passed, Kiba was noticing that Hinata was indeed getting stronger, her confidence boosting up. Especially when they got promoted to Chuunin. She stood straight, looking forward instead of down, and was more confident in her abilities, instead of doubting them always.

Hinata had changed.

Kiba was not against the change at all. In fact, he very much welcomed it. It was something Hinata has strived for, and she finally got it. And it's not like she had completely changed anyway. Her personality was still the same as always – kind, shy, and caring. He just didn't have to worry for her that much anymore. Hinata could take care of herself now. She doesn't need to be treated like a younger sibling of his, or an amateur fighter anymore.

But just as Hinata changed, so did Kiba. Since Kiba had stopped looking at Hinata like she was a weak teammate that needed help, he started to look at her in a different angle. He was starting to see Hinata as an individual. As a woman. He was noticing that, oh yeah, Hinata _is_ a girl. She was different from him and Shino. That she was of the opposite gender. That she was maturing, becoming even more beautiful, and graceful.

He fell in love with her.

And he hated himself for it.

He tried to convince himself that Hinata hated him. He tried to tell himself countless times that Hinata liked Naruto. He tried to think and dream many times of the beautiful future she has with Naruto. But no matter how much he tried, his feelings towards he just got stronger and stronger. It didn't help at all that Hinata was his teammate, which means that he's always beside her almost every single day. He couldn't ignore her.

The only thing he could come up to was to build a wall between her and him. A wall to remind himself that all he could be with her was friends. Friends, and nothing else. Don't climb it, don't break it. Don't attempt anything. Just mask everything.

And it was effective. Not only did Hinata, or anyone, ever noticed that Kiba was attracted to Hinata, but it kind of lessened the pain a bit. It made it easier to tease Hinata with Naruto. It made it easier for him to cheer her on. It made it easier to bear the pain whenever he hears Hinata talk about Naruto, or whenever he sees them together.

However, these days, it was different. Especially after the war. For some reason, Hinata was getting closer, spending more time with him. He could feel her staring at him occasionally. He could literally smell the tension in the air whenever they are together. At first, he didn't took notice of it that much. After all, it was normal for Hinata and Kiba to be close, but that was just the start.

Kiba could still remember the time in the hospital, when he and his team got caught up in the explosion. When he woke up, he saw Hinata in front of him, holding his hand weakly as she slept. There was also that time when she was obviously upset of the fact that he had decided to join ANBU, but couldn't speak up about it. There was also that time when she had hugged him _out of nowhere_ , when he had talked about his father to her.

But the one thing that made him hate her was when she cut her hair.

He was just glad that Hinata never noticed that he lied, because he actually hated it. Not because it didn't look good on her. No. It actually looked good on her, in fact. But that wasn't the problem. When Hinata cut her hair short, it reminded Kiba of how pathetic of a person he was. How he was so pitiful. That he was ridiculous. And stupid. And really an idiot. Hinata cut her hair to impress Naruto because he liked short haired girls, giving an unneeded reminder to Kiba that she liked Naruto. But that wasn't the main problem.

The main problem was that it reminded Kiba of the time he started to like Hinata. That he started to like her when she started to grow out her hair. The length of her hair that time was the same as her current one.

And he hated her for that.

Kiba hated Hinata. He hated her for doing that. Here he was, trying so hard to forget about his feelings towards her, but here she was, trying to remind him of it. And he hated her for that.

If only hating her was as easy as he says it. But he just can't. He couldn't.

And he hates himself for it.

And it just got worse from there. When Naruto talked to him about Hinata, he was sure that it was the end of the road. This was it. Maybe this would finally free him of his misery. Even though he was slightly hesitant of helping Naruto out, he still did it. Not only to Hinata, not only to Naruto, but for his miserable self as well.

However, he did not expect when Hinata just told him that she got rejected. Like, shit. What was he going to do with that information? Is he supposed to be happy? Sad? Devastated? Excited? Hopeful? What? What was he supposed to feel? Hinata said she was fine, but he sure wasn't. He was suddenly at loss.

But then, it got even worse. Just as when Kiba had decided to just stay as her friend and just let Hinata go with the flow, find someone new that she could project her affection to, she says something unexpected.

"I don't know. I guess I find being rejected by two people on the same day a bit funny."

This raised so much question in his head, like, what was Hinata talking about? Did she move on so quickly that she got rejected by two people on the same day? All he could do was tell her honestly that he didn't understand her. And the way she answered it, with a smiling face and a nonchalant tone, as if she didn't even notice what she was saying, was just too much.

"I like you, Kiba-kun."

And the wall he built for many years, suddenly crumbled away. As easy as that.

* * *

What did she even like about Kiba? It was a question that Hinata couldn't answer really well, without her making it sound like Kiba was a replacement of Naruto. That he was an alternative for her because she could never get Naruto in her life. Even if she just realized now of her feelings towards Kiba, she knew that that was not the case. Kiba would never, and will never be, a replacement of Naruto. He was more than that.

If so, what is it then? They were both brave, encouraging, fun, and determined. Both of them always strived to get stronger, always trying to one-up the other, always wanting to develop their skills even further until they reach their limits. Both of them liked to challenge themselves. Both of them wanted to be at the top. They were both loud, and an idiot.

The only thing they really differed was that Kiba was always beside her because they were teammates. She knew that that was a factor as well, but there was more. There was one thing she liked the most about Kiba. Something that really attracted her to him. Something that made him interesting for her.

It was his freedom.

Unlike Hinata, who preferred to stay in her home, Kiba was always outside, playing with anyone he could find and, eventually, with Akamaru. Unlike Hinata, who usually went straight home after school, Kiba would always wander around, trying to discover new places, even if he didn't even reach a double-digit age yet. It got to the point where Hana started asking around where her brother was _at midnight_ , because Kiba wasn't home yet. Unlike Hinata who was scared of the rules and followed them diligently, Kiba just did whatever he could, pushing the rules to its limit. He just did what made him happy, even if he got in trouble for it.

For her, Kiba was the definition of freedom. He was the epitome of it. At first, she kind of envied him a bit. She was jealous that he wasn't afraid of doing whatever he wanted. He wasn't tied down to anything, unlike her. His family granted him freedom, an independence, and Kiba used it well.

But when Hinata got to know him more, the more they started to spend time with each other, Hinata finally got a taste of what Kiba felt. He let her run free, jump around, showed her new places, discovered even more, and just, experience. He let her do whatever she wanted, and even accompanied her to some. He showed her that anything is possible, that anything could be achievable. That even _she_ could achieve freedom. He basically introduced her to a whole new world.

She could remember the first time she saw Kiba jumping around the roofs. She could still remember how happy he looked, with that big smile on his face, with Akamaru behind his heels, trying his best to catch up. Just seeing him be _that_ happy, made her feel the same way as well. His happiness was contagious.

And she loved him for it.

It was fun watching him be free, and it was fun being free herself, but she enjoyed it more when they shared that freedom.

And she wants that to continue.

* * *

It has been a few seconds since Hinata had confessed to Kiba, but there was no reaction that came from the latter. Only silence, and it wasn't even an awkward one. It wasn't comfortable, either. It was just a simple silence. It was as if Kiba wasn't here at all in the first place, which prompted her to look beside her, only to see the Inuzuka still standing there. He was covering his mouth with the back of his hand, as if he tasted something foul, while looking at the opposite side, making Hinata think that he was avoiding her gaze.

"Kiba-kun?" she called out to him, but he neither turned nor answered. Hinata stepped forward a bit, trying to take a look at Kiba's face, but he shifted his position, confirming the fact that he doesn't want to see Hinata, or perhaps, he doesn't want Hinata to see _him._

She called out his name again, this time a bit louder, but still got no response. It was then she noticed that, under the messy brown hair was a reddened ear of his. She took another step closer, this time getting a glimpse of his red cheeks that drowned out his red tattoos.

"Kiba-kun? What's wrong?" she asked, stepping even closer to him until they were face to face. It was then she noticed how red Kiba's face was. "A-are you… blushing….?"

"W-who wouldn't?!" Kiba exploded, surprising Hinata. "Who the hell wouldn't after being told _that_ all of a sudden?!" He covered his face with both of his hands, and ran them through his hair in frustration. "What the hell… I mean, what the hell. How could you say that so easily?"

Watching Kiba just being flustered, blubbering out incomprehensible things, the redness of his face not subsiding, made Hinata realize just, in Kiba's words, what the hell she just said. She had confessed to him like it was nothing, like it was a casual thing to say, without even realizing how heavy those words were. And just realizing these things, made her start blushing as well.

"Please tell me that you're not lying," he said, still covering his mouth, which she then realized that he was slightly biting it, as if an attempt to calm himself down. "Please tell me that this isn't a prank, or a dream, or a-"

"I-it's not," she cut him off. "I won't lie of something like that."

"You sure?"

Hinata nodded.

"Because," Kiba looked at his left, before looking back straight to Hinata. "B-because… uhm," he roughly ruffled his hair, making it even messier. "Because I like you too," he said in one quick breath, his face getting even redder, something that Hinata thought was already impossible.

"Y-you're the one who was lying!" she accused him, her voice rising a bit.

"I had to, okay?! I didn't want to risk it!" He sighed loudly as he rubbed his face. "And it's not like I could help it. It was more like an automatic response," he looked at Hinata, their eyes meeting for a moment, before both of them looked down, embarrassed. "I got so used to lying about it that the answer became instinctive." He the rubbed his arm, looking everywhere. "Are you really sure that you're not lying?"

"I'm sure," she said, a hint of confidence in her tone. Their eyes met again, and this time, Kiba had laughed. A laugh that was a mixture of humor and relief. It was the same laugh he used whenever he survived something that was thought to be impossible to. The same laugh whenever he finally masters a new technique, a mixture of victory and exhaustion.

"I can't believe this," he muttered to himself. "I can't believe that this is happening right now." It was like a mantra, to convince himself that everything that was happening was real.

She can't believe it either. But it was real.

Everything was real.

* * *

"Are you _really sure_ that you're not lying?"

It's been a few seconds (or minutes, she wasn't really counting) since they each confessed to the other, but Kiba was still asking the same question no matter how much she reassured him that, yes, she was not lying. That it wasn't a prank. It wasn't a dare either. Everything she said was genuine.

She wasn't annoyed by it. Just confused. Was she that unconvincing for Kiba to ask several times? Did she look like she was lying? But then again, Kiba had mentioned that he had gotten used to lying to her about his feelings towards her, which basically means that he's liked her for a while now. Maybe months, maybe years, she didn't know. And to be honest, she didn't know if she wanted to ask. She wasn't sure if she was just afraid of learning the fact that she never noticed, that she was being insensitive whenever she gushes about Naruto to him, so she decided to just ask at a later time.

Hinata smiled, looking up at the light provided by the lamppost above them, before looking at Kiba, who was waiting patiently for her to answer. "I'm sure," she simply answered. "I'm very sure of it."

Kiba inched a bit closer, their shoulders side to side, and their hands barely touching each other.

"You really sure about that?" he said, leaning down a bit on her level.

Hinata nodded.

"Really?" Kiba asked again, his face getting closer and closer, making Hinata inch back a little, a blush rising above her face.

"R-really…" she managed to whisper, her eyes focusing on Kiba's lips, then back to his eyes, realizing that he was about to kiss her. She immediately shut her eyes and straightened her lips, trying to bare the butterflies that were going wild in her stomach as she waited him to close the gap. She was definitely sure that Kiba could hear her heart beating fast and strong. She was sure that he could sense how nervous, afraid, scared, happy, surprised, awkward, and just about all the emotions that were mixing inside her right now.

She waited and waited, still feeling the closeness between them. She could feel how he was watching, or staring at her. She could hear and feel his breathing, wondering how he could stay that calm despite the distance between them. She could feel his warmth that came off from him. She didn't know if she should open her eyes to see what he was doing, why he was taking so long.

Hinata opened them anyway when she heard Kiba trying to stifle a laugh.

"Y-you should have seen your face…!" he managed to say through his chuckling. "Were you waiting for me to kiss you?"

"Kiba…!" she shrieked as she lightly hit him on his shoulder out of embarrassment, not even minding that she dropped the honorific.

"I'm just kidding," he gave one last laugh before leaning in close again. Their foreheads touched, the heat exchanging, and Hinata could feel herself blushing again at the sudden closeness.

She looked up at him, their eyes meeting. Kiba then smiled at her, bringing his hand to her cheek and caressing it.

"You're so beautiful…" she hears him whisper.

Then their lips touched.

* * *

 **Congratulations. You've reached the end. Here's some sugar cubes.**

 **Uh... uhm, r-reviews? Please? Please and thank you?**

 **Anyway, thank you, and see you next chapter~**


	11. Hidden

**I'm not dead. Yet.**

 **Anyway, here's Chapter 11. Enjoy.**

 **Like always, thank you to those who reviewed, favorited, or followed the story.**

 **Okay. Let's go.**

* * *

This is finally it. It was what Hinata told herself as she stood up a little too fast and putting too much strength, causing her to stumble a bit. Quickly regaining her composure, she went towards her door, glaring at the doorknob as if it was her mortal enemy. She mentally counted inside her head, trying to stay calm and collected. She focused on her breathing, praising herself how perfect it was. It was in a good rhythm, it wasn't loud, and it wasn't fast. It was normal, and that's what she wanted.

She cringed a little, backing her hand away from the doorknob noticing that she had been unconsciously biting her lip, but decided to let it go for now. She was almost there. So close. Just a little bit more. Her hands were trembling, her breathing starting to go out of rhythm, her face unable to keep a straight expression. She quickly looked down, shutting her eyes tightly, but her body just wouldn't listen. Her eyes opened a bit and took a quick look to the mirror near her. Her reflection, a disheveled hair, plain clothes, and her terrified expression when she saw how red her face was.

His face quickly flashed inside her mind. Him. Kiba. Last night. Their conversation. His confession. His face coming closer and closer, until…. Until…!

"I can't do this! I can't do this… I can't…" Hinata muttered to herself repeatedly as she landed on her knees. Her hands instantly covered her mouth, but instantly regretted it. The moment that her hand had touched her lips, it reminded her of how his lips had felt on hers. It reminded her of how quick the first one was. How the second one was an utter joke, when their nose bumped into each other. How Kiba accidentally bit his tongue during their third attempt. But the fourth attempt. The fourth attempt. _The fourth attempt_. His lips felt dry, her lips were too wet, she tasted a bit of blood from his mouth, but it was perfect. It wasn't long, but it wasn't quick either. There was an ounce of fear, but a ton of desire. It was as if they were in resonance. There was electricity, there was euphoria, fireworks, butterflies, there was _everything_.

 _Stop,_ she immediately told herself as she brought her knees to her chest and burrowing her head into her arms. "I'm running out of words to describe it," she whispered to herself. She knew, however, that it wasn't true at all. She had plenty more ways to describe that night. There were a lot of things to say. It was just a way of convincing herself to stop before she goes crazy.

She listened to the ticking of the clock. It was quarter to noon and yet, she had been up before six. It was seven when she started attempting to go out of her room, to go out of her house, to meet Kiba. This was her 50th attempt. She thinks. She wasn't sure, and really, she doesn't care. Wait, she does care. She had been wasting so much time that surely, she missed her chance in meeting him today, and tomorrow was too late. She wanted to see him. She _needed_ to see Kiba.

Hinata looked at the door in front of her. She needed to see Kiba, but she was afraid. She didn't know how to face him. What should she say? Should she mention what happened last night? What did she even want to say to him? Did it even matter? Her desire to see her teammate was enough of a reason to see him, right? And it's not like –

She lifted her head, pausing a bit, her eyebrows furrowing. Teammate? Well, yes, she and Kiba are teammates. Isn't that what they are in the first place? But what about now? What are they? Are they friends? More than friends? She likes him, and he returns her feelings, so that must mean something, right? Are they dating? Are they in a relationship that was far deeper than what they had? Kiba never said anything before he went home, so that means that they're not, right? He never asked her out. She didn't ask him before he left. So, what are they?

Hinata groaned. The more she thinks about it, the more she wished that she didn't. It just made her feel hopeful and depressed at the same time. She didn't want to be too optimistic, but didn't want to feel pessimistic as well. She wanted to ask, but was afraid to know the answer. She couldn't find a good balance.

The clock rang, signifying that its noon. She looked at the Lilac flower on her windowsill. It's been a few months but it's still in a good shape. Standing up, she sat down in front of her mirror and slowly brushed her hair. Inhale. Exhale. Good enough. Passable. Maybe she could dress up a little bit just to impress him. But considering that it's Kiba, Hinata wasn't sure if he would still be impressed. They've grown up together, saw each other almost every single day. He's seen her in every clothes she has in her wardrobe. But it wouldn't hurt to try, won't it?

"What am I doing…" she immediately returned the perfume to its place upon realizing what she was doing. Kiba doesn't really like perfumes. In fact, he doesn't like them at all. It hurts his nose, especially when it's in a close distance. "I'm just going to meet him. I'm just going to ask. Then that's it," she said to herself, rubbing her face with both of her hands. "That's just it. That's basically it," she scrunched her hair in her fists, feeling the blush rising upon her cheeks for the umpteenth time today.

She knew that that wasn't basically it.

* * *

Hinata gulped as she tried to take a peak from the fences in Kiba's house. In the front yard was Akamaru who peacefully slept. Her heart started pounding loudly. Kiba was there. Kiba's home. She could feel her body wanting to run away. Her feet just wanted to take several steps back, and to never return to this place and act like she never went to it in the first place. It didn't matter if Kiba knew that she was here. She'll just keep pretending until he gives up. But that's probably too harsh. Maybe she could just say that she passed by. But then he could say that she has been there for a few minutes. A few hours maybe. No, just minutes.

"Why is this so hard to do?" Hinata put her hand on the left side of her chest, trying to feel its loud beating. It just became stronger as she came closer to his house, and it just wouldn't calm down. It was almost sunset. The sky is turning orange. She's just wasting time again.

"Hinata?"

Hinata screamed loudly, jumping out of surprise. She immediately crouched down, covering her mouth with both of her hands as the culprit laughed in amusement. She could hear three more people laughing, which sounded more like panting than laughing. Four people just saw her creeping around Kiba's home. It was the end of her life. Might as well move to another village and start a new life. Perhaps change her identity and profession as well while she's at it.

"Hinata, it's me," a gentle tap on her shoulder.

Her ears perked at the familiarity of the person's voice. She heard it quite a few times in her life. A mixture of strength and kindness. Hinata turned her head to see Hana, along with her three dogs which explained the panting-slash-laughing sound.

"O-oh, uhm… I'm," she slowly stood up, unable to look at Hana's eyes straight. But then again, Hinata had always been bad at eye contact. "It's not what you think it is. I-I just wanted to, uh, you see, I went here to," she gesticulated as she explained herself. "Akamaru was there, sleeping, and, uhm, so I-I just didn't know if I should just knock, and…" Hinata just didn't care anymore what Hana thought about her. Hinata didn't care anymore, period. "Basically, what I want, w-what I went here for is…"

"You're looking for Kiba, right?" Hana chuckled, her hand resting on one of the Haimaru brothers' head. "Did something happen?"

"H-ha-happen? Us? N-n-n-n-no..! Nothing! It's, it's really nothing. Yeah. Really. Uhm," Hinata wished that the earth would just crumble already and swallow her whole. She wished that one of Hana's dogs would just suddenly go wild and chase her, making her have an excuse to run away. How should she even explain to Hana about last night? Judging from Hana's tone, it sounds like she didn't know anything, which meant that Kiba hadn't told her anything at all. "So, i-is he here?"

"You're acting really weird today, huh?" A simple statement than an accusation. "Kiba's acting weird as well ever since he came home last night. I told him that your scent was lingering on him stronger than usual and asked him if something happened. He just slammed his door at me, telling me to piss off," Hana laughed as she told her story. Hinata did as well… awkwardly. If her scent was on Kiba, then does that mean his scent got stuck on her as well? Can Hana smell it? "Did you two fight?"

Hinata scratched her cheek, embarrassed of the fact that she wasn't paying full attention. "N-no…" She felt Hana's eyes staring her up and down. She felt transparent whenever she's around an Inuzuka. Their keen sense of smell could catch any hints of emotions, no matter how much you try to hide it.

Hana stared at Hinata for a few more seconds before shrugging. "Well, if you say so. I guess it's none of my business, right?" Her tone was exactly the same way as how Kiba says it.

Hinata didn't know if she should nod or not. She decided to just remain silent. A bad choice as it led to a short awkward silence between her and Hana.

"So, right. Kiba. Unfortunately, he's not here."

A disappointed "oh" came out from Hinata's mouth. However, knowing that fact made her suddenly calm. "D-do you know where he is?" she asked, hesitating a bit.

Hana looked up at the sky, thinking to herself. "I actually don't know. He just said that he'll go somewhere and that's that. I initially thought that he went out to meet you but, apparently not." Hana walked a few steps past Hinata and looked at their front yard. "Huh. You were right. He even left Akamaru. That's unusual."

"Can I ask what time he went out?"

"Just before I went grocery shopping. That was a few minutes, maybe an hour ago?"

So Kiba went out just before Hinata arrived. This made her think of several things. One, she was a bit thankful that he wasn't home because she really wasn't ready to meet him. Two, she couldn't help but wonder where he went at this time. He even left Akamaru at home. She just wished that he didn't get into any trouble or something.

The third one was something she doesn't really want to think about. Kiba had left just a few minutes before Hinata arrived. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but Hinata couldn't help to think otherwise. Kiba's nose could track a scent a few meters, kilometers probably, away from him. This was the same person who caught the scent of Sasuke despite the fact that there's a huge distance between them. The same person who found Naruto after being requested by Sakura just by following his scent. Kiba could have sensed her coming towards his home which prompted him to go out. Hinata didn't really want to think of it, but she couldn't help it.

She couldn't help but think that Kiba was avoiding her.

* * *

Hinata went again the next day, this time a bit more successful in going out of her house without attempting to back out. No hyperventilating. No moments of wanting to faint on the spot. It all went to waste anyway because Kiba was not home again.

Third time's the charm, as they would say. She went to the Inuzuka household, this time, meeting Tsume instead of Hana. At first she was hopeful, but when Tsume shrugged her head at her, her heart dropped to the ground. He wasn't home again.

It wasn't fair, she thought to herself. Here she was, trying her best to at least face him even if she felt like she would explode in a matter of seconds if she ever sees him. It wasn't fair at all. Most of all, she felt betrayed. It was as if Kiba didn't care. It was as if Kiba wanted to forget, when all Hinata wants is to confirm their relationship. It wasn't fair at all.

It's the fifth day since that night. Knowing that Kiba wouldn't be there at his home, Hinata opted to not visit there today. It was getting embarrassing, seeing Hana and Tsume almost every day, only to be told that Kiba was not there. She looked desperate. Well, she was, but she didn't want to feel so. She didn't want anyone to think so. The sun was setting, the sky painted orange, and her feet were exhausted. _She_ was exhausted. It's been tempting to activate her Byakugan just to have an easier time, but she didn't want to. She wanted to find him in normal terms. Hinata didn't know why she desires to do so. Perhaps, so that she could brag about the effort it took for her to look for him. Perhaps, it was for Kiba to understand that she would do anything just to talk to him. But really, it's because she just suddenly remembered that she had the ability to do so.

She stopped in her tracks when she heard a chime. A person, a customer, came out from Ino's flower shop. As Ino thanked the leaving customer, Chouji arrived, bringing with him a few bags filled with what seemed like food. Ino's eyes met with hers and, without skipping a beat, the blonde waved at her with a big smile on her face. Chouji noticed her and waved as well. Despite the exhaustion, Hinata tried her best to return the gesture.

Hinata watched Ino and Chouji talk a bit before going inside the flower shop, the open sign being turned to close. She stepped forward, approaching the shop before sighing loudly. Kiba wouldn't be there. An Inuzuka would never be there at all. She knew that he hated the place. Too much is different from a single one, as Kiba would say. He may like the pleasant scent of the flowers, but being surrounded by them in an enclosed area was a different story altogether.

"Kiba…" she quietly whispered to herself, rubbing her arm slowly. As the laps turned on to brighten the streets, Hinata wished for the umpteenth time to have a better luck for tomorrow.

* * *

Once they got inside, Chouji couldn't help but chuckle lightly, while Ino sighed. The shop was surrounded in all kinds of beauty, from roses to camellias up to the lilies. It was like a paradise, a place where she could relax and enjoy life. So much color and life blooming, and it was all destroyed by the pathetic lump known as Kiba.

"Ugh," Ino removed the apron and threw it at the brunette whose head was on the counter, unmoving. Didn't even respond when the apron hit him. "Stop being so pathetic. You're making me feel pathetic as well. It's like a contagious disease," she complained loudly, hoping to get at least a bit of response from the Inuzuka only to be disappointed when she got none. Kiba just remained motionless, as if he didn't even hear anything. She felt like she was talking to a corpse.

"Hey, Kiba," Chouji greeted, approaching Kiba and ruffling his hair. Kiba just groaned irritatingly, weakly removing Chouji's hand away from his head. At least there was something. "You're still here?" he jokingly said, laughing at his own joke.

Ino grabbed a chair and sat beside Kiba, bumping him on purpose on the way. Ino and Chouji looked at each other for a while before Chouji went inside Ino's home to cook. Giving one last look at Kiba, she grabbed the flower wreath she was making and continued where she left off.

It has been like this for a few days now. Kiba comes in just after Ino opens the flower shop, begging for her to let him to stay. She always reluctantly agrees despite not knowing or asking why. She only knew that he was hiding from Hinata. Kiba thanks her, promising that he'll help her around as a form of appreciation. Chouji then comes in as night falls to bring food upon Ino's request, just to help with the situation.

"You like making girls cry, don't you?" she asked him, gazing at the completed flower wreath and putting it on Kiba's head. She couldn't help but laugh a bit at the image.

To her surprise, Kiba sat up, grabbing the wreath before it could fall to the ground. "What the hell…" he blurted out, examining the wreath. "I didn't know you could make this by hand."

"I'll teach you next time, if you want," she laughed half-teasingly, grabbing the wreath from his grasp and putting it at the side. "For now, I want you to stop avoiding the issue."

He groaned loudly, landing his head onto the counter. The sound made Ino think that he actually hit it a bit hard than intended, but Kiba didn't seem to mind it at all. The Inuzuka held his head, digging his nails through his scalp, and ruffled it roughly. "I don't know how to face her. Especially now." He rubbed his hands on his face, massaging his eyes. "She's probably mad at me."

"And who do you think is at fault for that?"

A long pause. "I don't know what to do…" He stared at the door, his mind obviously somewhere else. "What do you even say or do after that?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I don't even know what you're talking about. Ever since you came here, you never told me anything about what happened. Did you two fight or something?"

"No. Worse." He buried his head into his arms. "Far worse," a muffled answer.

Ino decided to remain silent.

Kiba's head lifted up a bit, his eyes clouded with doubt. "I," he started. A blush quickly rose up his cheeks, making her raise her eyebrows. "Uhm…" She resisted the urge to shout at him. "The thing is…" his eyes quickly glanced at her, immediately returning to look front. "I… uhm, _kissed_ her…" he said in a quick whisper.

Ino widened her eyes at what he said, before exhaling loudly. "Sheesh. I thought that you saw her naked or something like that."

"W-what…?" His face went beet red immediately.

"You looked so guilty. That's why I thought-"

"Alright, alright! Stop!"

Ino crossed her leg over the other, looking down to the floor. "I didn't know that you liked her," she said quietly. It was true. She didn't even notice. There were some occasional doubts when she saw the two of them interact, but it never went far beyond that. Her doubts were immediately forgotten whenever she got them.

"No one knows."

"How long?" her eyes glanced at him.

He shrugged. "Quite a while."

She nodded. His answer was vague but, she'll let it slide off for now. "So… what's the problem?"

He clicked his tongue. "Nothing, really. I guess I still have a hard time convincing myself that she likes me back."

Ino let out a hum. She still doesn't have the full picture, but knew enough to understand. Kiba was in a state of denial. Kiba had a hard time convincing himself that everything that's happening right now is real because he himself believed that it was impossible. It was as if his mind refused to admit, or even comprehend what was happening right in front of his very eyes. He obviously wanted to see Hinata, but deep inside, he was afraid. Afraid that everything was a dream. That he made it all up. A delusion. Maybe even a genjutsu. A cruel prank by someone.

A basket filled with different shapes of bread was placed onto the counter, along with small jars of jams and butter. Ino looked up to see Chouji smiling, already having a bite of the pastry. She smiled as well and grabbed one, nudging Kiba to do so as well.

"You made these?" Ino handed the strawberry jam to Kiba, asking him to open it. The Inuzuka begrudgingly took it and opened it with ease, handing it back to her.

Chouji shook his head, spreading the butter on the bread. "I bought it on the way here. The jams are homemade, though."

She noticed Kiba looking disgusted at the amount she was spreading on the bread, but paid him no mind. "You bring me some of those the next time you come here," she pointed to the jams. "Alright?"

A loud chuckle came out. "Alright." He went back to the kitchen and returned, carrying a chair with him. He sat down, grabbing another roll, and looked at Kiba. "I heard everything, by the way."

"It really doesn't matter anymore," he waved it off.

Ino and Chouji looked at each other. She just shrugged at him, not knowing what to do with Kiba anymore. They were classmates in the Academy, sure, but they weren't close. They were just in the middle of being friends and acquaintance. But Chouji should be able to help Kiba somehow. They were close enough to understand each other, considering that they skipped classes together, along with Shikamaru and Naruto.

"Did you know that Hinata asked me one time to help you?" He smiled when he saw a reaction from Kiba. "When you had a problem with your nose?" he pointed at his own noise playfully.

"Wait. When was this?" Ino asked.

"After the war. Kiba and his clan were dispatched to look for people that were missing. He had trouble eating for a while." He paused for a bit, waiting if she would ask another question, before continuing. "She looked so lost in the grocery store. It was funny watching her. It was funnier when we were teaching her how to cook."

"I always thought that the food she brought was store-bought," Kiba leaned back, apologizing to Ino when he accidentally kicked her feet. "Apparently not."

"Did it taste that bad for you to think that way?" Ino laughed.

The Inuzuka chuckled a bit. "Not really. It was… a little bland, I guess. I don't remember that much. My mind's too messed up during that time."

"Kiba. Do you not trust Hinata?" Chouji said after pausing a bit. His lighthearted voice from before was gone, replaced with complete seriousness.

Silence befall as the Inuzuka's gaze fell down to the floor, his eyebrows furrowing a bit. Thinking. Contemplating. Doubting. He looked like he didn't even want to answer the question. It seriously made Ino think that Kiba actually did not trust Hinata at all. It was a little jarring for her. Next to Shino, Hinata was probably the person Kiba trusts the most. There was always a sense of loyalty, respect, and admiration between them. Both of them looked out for each other in their own ways. The two were almost inseparable.

"I don't know…" the Inuzuka muttered. His tone, unsure and full of guilt. He really did not know. He wasn't avoiding the topic. He just really did not know.

Ino sighed quietly to herself. Despite all these, he still had doubts over Hinata. But, she did kind of understand. If Sasuke, out of nowhere, suddenly admits that he likes her, she wouldn't believe it easily as well even if she felt a huge amount of happiness. She would think he was joking or just wants to mess with her in some way.

Chouji nodded at Kiba's answer, a gentle smile on his face. Ino finds it a bit calming. "Maybe you should tell her that." He put his hand up before Kiba could react to let him continue. "It's better if you're honest with her."

He ran his hand through his brown locks, grabbing a handful as he closed his eyes. "You think?"

Chouji just nodded.

"I guess I should."

Ino stared at him, waiting for him to stand up and move. One minute. Two minutes. Three minutes. No sign of moving. She then kicked him hard on his legs.

"What was that for?!" he brought up his leg to his chest and held onto where she kicked him.

"Why are you just sitting there? Go see her now!" she pushed him off the chair.

"Now? Are you kidding me? It's already dark!"

"So? Who cares? You scared of the dark or something?" she stood up, pushing him towards the door. "You're wasting your time dawdling around! You're an Inuzuka, aren't you? Use that speed and courage of yours that you all are known of!"

"Alright, alright! Sheesh…" he pushed her hand away from his shoulders. Giving one last look at her and Chouji, he went outside, the chimes ringing as he closed the door slowly. Her eyes followed Kiba until he was out of sight.

The shop was quiet for a few seconds, before Chouji's laugh echoed throughout the room. "Do you think he's going to make it worse?"

Ino walked back to the counter and sat, grabbing one more slice of bread from the basket. It was a little cold now, but it didn't really matter at all. "Who knows, considering how much of an idiot he is."

They both laugh.

"But," Ino glanced at the chair Kiba had sat on. "I'm sure everything's going to be just fine."

A nod and a smile.

"Me too."

* * *

Pure, black eyes stared at one of the windows of the Hyuuga house, watching the shadow move around the room. His nose itched a bit, his ears focusing on his surroundings. His mind told him to run away, but his body stood still. He's already here. Might as well go through with it.

The light has been turned off. Finally. His eyes then gazed up to the only window left. The window where the lights are still on. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he jumped, landing perfectly on the tall, wooden fence of the Hyuuga compound. Each careful step made him feel like he was outside the village. As if he was in a battlefield. His heart was pounding in his chest. He could feel his hands sweating inside his pockets. He's unconsciously touching his fangs with his tongue.

A rustling sound made him suddenly jump. He was sure that his heart stopped for a few seconds. His head looked left and right, frantically looking for the source, his breathing a bit ragged. Did his nose fail him? Or was he too preoccupied to even check his surroundings? Upon seeing a mouse coming out of the bush and running away into the dark, he calmed down. After taking one look at the window below him, he started to walk forwards again.

Kiba gazed at the window in front of him. He could see her shadow through the window. She was just sitting on the floor. He brought up his knuckles to the window, about to knock, when he immediately took it back. He held his shaking hand, and laughed a bit to himself. Why is this so difficult to do? He kind of wished that he was a kid again. Maybe his past self could knock on this window easily without hesitating at all.

The Inuzuka sighed. He wanted to see her. He wants to see Hinata. But at the same time, he was scared. What would she say to him, after hiding from her for five days? Will she get mad? Is she already mad? Either way, what matters is, will she ever forgive him?

He brought up his hand up to the window, his knuckles nearing the glass. His hands still shook a bit, but it was barely noticeable unless they are very observant. He bit the inside of his lips lightly. He looked down, closing his eyes as he tried to relax. He noticed her scent. It was close. The smell of shampoo was strong. Close. Closer. Closer.

The window suddenly slid open, and his eyes met with hers. His heart didn't know if it wanted to stop or not. He felt like he stopped breathing. All the sounds around them disappeared. It was as if the world was only consisting of the two of them. His throat dried up. He was at loss of words.

"Kiba…" her soft voice called out to him. Almost like a whisper.

Their eyes never left each other.

* * *

She felt like someone was looking at her. Staring. Waiting. Waiting for the perfect moment. To strike? No, not really. She could feel nothing malicious around her. She stood up, approaching the door to her room to go outside and check if someone is there, only to see a faint shadow standing at her window.

The shadow brought his hand to her window, planning to knock, only to put it down immediately. It shifted around, looking uncomfortable. A faint sigh was heard as it brought up his knuckles again, only to linger around there for a while. She waited for a bit, before activating her Byakugan, only to see a familiar figure. Its chakra was familiar to her as well.

Her mouth slightly opened in shock upon realization. She slowly approached the window, being careful to not make any kind of sounds, until she stood directly in front of it. Taking a deep breath, she slid it open.

Her eyes met his immediately. He was obviously surprised, his hand unmoving from its position. He probably didn't expect her to suddenly open it. He probably didn't expect her to even notice his presence. But she knew. She noticed.

"Kiba…" his name escaped her lips. Its tone full of relief and happiness.

He was the first to look down. She followed suit later on. Both of them were speechless. She grabbed the hem of her shirt, crunching it in her fist. All those things she wanted to say to him disappeared in an instant as soon as they met. She quickly glanced up, catching Kiba looking at her before he looked at his right, avoiding her gaze.

"Y-you should go in," she stepped to the side to allow him to enter. "Someone might see and… uhm…"

"O-oh… yeah," he laughed awkwardly. "Right." He took off his sandals and went in, closing the window behind.

"I'm sorry if it's a bit messy," she hurriedly picked up the books on the floor and stacked them on her table messily, causing some of her books to fall back down the floor.

Kiba let out a chuckle as he bended down to pick up the books and handing them to her. "It's alright. Your room's actually clean compared to mine." He handed her a pencil that came out from one of her books. They looked at each other before Hinata took it from his hand, saying a quiet 'thank you' to him. He just nods and sat on the floor.

Hinata, with her back facing towards Kiba, looked down at her hands. They couldn't stop fidgeting, rolling around the pencil, playing it with her fingers. She could literally feel the heavy air between them. It was a matter of who spoke first, but neither wanted to be that one.

Taking a big gulp, she clenched the pencil in her hand. "D-do you hate me…?" her soft voice trembled as she asked.

"No…" a whispered answer. She heard him shuffle around, and decided to face him. Kiba was obviously uncomfortable as much as she was. His hand was busy playing with the loose strands of her carpet. "I don't hate you. But," a pause. His head went lower, ashamed. "I'll admit that I was hiding from you."

She walked towards him, sitting across. "Why?"

"I got scared."

Hinata paused, thinking about what he said, before smiling. "I'm scared too."

His head looked up when she replied.

Hinata's hand went to her shirt, playing with the hem. "After that night, I was confused on what I should do. I mean…" she laughed a bit. "I'm a bit inexperienced in this, or never taught anything about it. I didn't know what to say, how to act, or even how to face you. I wanted to see you, but at the same time, I got so nervous about meeting you that I backed out a couple of times. I was worried that I might become a burden someday. I was worried that…" her eyes looked up at his, before looking immediately back down and giggling to herself. "I'm sorry. I'm rambling. But, what I wanted to say was, we're both scared, so you don't really need to worry." She changed her sitting positing, putting her knees close to her chest. "I'm actually kind of glad that we both feel the sa-"

"Hinata, you don't understand," Kiba cut her off. "Sure, I'm scared of those as well, but, what I'm scared about the most is that I won't meet your expectations."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not Naruto, Hinata."

Hinata took a long pause, digesting what Kiba had just said. "…I know that. I never said that you were."

"I'm not the son of a hokage. I'm not someone who is considered by everyone as a hero. I'm not the person that ended the war. I won't become the hokage. Ever. No Rasengan. No blonde hair. No whiskers. Ramen isn't my favorite food. I'm not-"

"Kiba," her voice was stern, a bit loud than she had intended to. "You… You're kind of saying that you don't trust me at all…" She really did felt like Kiba didn't believe her but, at the same time, she understood him a bit. This was the same person who convinced himself for years that she'll never return his feelings.

"I-it's not like that…!"

"Then please stop saying those things." She sat closer to him. "Don't compare yourself to him. I like _you_ , Kiba Inuzuka. The person that's right in front of m-"

"Alright, alright! Stop…!" he covered her mouth with his hand, his face tinted red. "I'm sorry. I won't do it again. I promise," he brought up his pinky finger. He then released her mouth, looking at her in guilt, shame, and embarrassment.

Hinata then sat even closer to Kiba, Her body was in-between his outstretched legs. She leant forward, and lightly tapped his cheek, before laughing in amusement. Kiba's clueless face was really funny to see.

"That's for making me worry," she smiled.

Both of them laughed at their idiocy. They really need to work on a lot of things.

* * *

"So, uhm…"

Kiba paused in his tracks, half of his body already out of the window.

"A-are we…" she pointed to him and herself, "Dating?" she literally felt herself blush just from uttering the word. It just felt so… weird and normal at the same time.

Kiba sat on the windowsill, thinking to himself, then looking back at Hinata with a tinge of pink on his cheeks. "Do you want to?"

She nodded meekly.

He chuckled, amused. "Then, I guess we are," he hanged his feet outside and started to wear his sandals.

She stepped closer to him. "Be careful when you go home," she whispered.

Kiba looked back at her, smiling, as he stood on the small roof below her window. "Yeah. I wi-"

"Inuzuka."

Things went by a bit too fast after that. Kiba shouted a bit loud, causing Hinata to accidentally push Kiba out of surprise, causing him to fall out of balance, which led to him falling hard to the ground. Fortunately, he didn't land face first.

"Kiba…!" she whispered his name loudly, looking down to check on him, only to meet the eyes of her father.

Kiba immediately stood up, patting down the grass from his clothes, and trying to at least maintain composure. "Uh, uhm, hi… I-I mean, Good eveni-"

"It's already 2 AM, Inuzuka," Hiashi switched on the lights and opened his window widely.

Kiba looked at his wrist, only to forget that he didn't even wear a watch in the first place. He then looked up at the sky, his eyes focused on the moon, his hands trembling a bit. Hinata could literally feel the awkwardness from her level.

"O-oh. Then I guess it's good mor-"

"We need to talk."

Hinata could hear her heart pounding widely. Just thinking about Hiashi and Kiba talking alone in a room made her nervous. No doubt there was a possibility that Kiba might end up saying something that will make him regret ever coming to her house. Or the fact that he's alive.

"R-right away, sir…" Kiba was about to walk to the front door when Hiashi called out to him.

"You might as well come into the window to lessen the work."

Hinata didn't know if her father was joking or not. His voice was so serious that you couldn't tell at all. By Kiba's expression, he couldn't tell as well. He was obviously contemplating, but in the end, decided to just go along Hiashi's joke and went inside his window. As soon as he went inside, the window shut immediately.

She just prayed that it will all go well.

* * *

Hinata waited, and waited, and waited. It's been almost thirty minutes since Hiashi called Kiba into his room. She tried eavesdropping but she couldn't hear a thing. She was _so_ curious on what was happening. What are they talking about? What are they saying? Is it going well or not? She just wanted to _know_ so badly.

She crossed her legs as she sat in their dining room. Her ears caught a sound of a door sliding open, and she quickly stood up and peeked outside. Kiba and her father stepped out of the room, heading towards the front door. They quickly noticed Hinata as they passed by the dining room.

"I guess I'll see you again soon, Inuzuka," Hiashi said, heading back to his room. "Send him off, Hinata."

Kiba bowed his head, apologizing, saying thanks, and bidding farewell. Hiashi just nodded at him and closed the door to his room.

"So, what did you two talk about?" Hinata asked as both of them stepped out of the house.

He didn't answer immediately, making her think that he didn't hear her. She was about to repeat her question when Kiba chuckled a bit.

"It's a secret," he smiled teasingly. "He did mention that I should come in the front door the next time I come," he said while laughing. They both walked in comfortable silence. "Hey. Are you available on Saturday?" he asked as they arrived on the gate.

"I don't think so." She recalled her schedule. "I have a mission that lasts until that day." She looked up at Kiba. "I'm free on Sunday, though. Why?"

Kiba ran his hand down on his face, then rubbing the back of his neck. He then leaned down, inching closer and closer to Hinata's ear. She felt herself shiver just from the closeness. There was still a few inches between them, but she felt like his lips was on her skin.

"D-do you want to go on a…" his breath on her neck and ear was ticklish. She let out an air from her mouth, shutting her eyes tightly. She cocked her head slightly to the side, an unconscious action, distancing a bit from him, but he just kept getting closer. "Uhm… " he clicked his tongue. "Go on a date?" he said quickly in one breath.

She looked at him, surprised. His face was red all over, his eyes looking at the side, avoiding her gaze. There was not a single person around, giving no reason to whisper to themselves. Perhaps, he was still uncomfortable, or embarrassed, to say something like that loudly. She smiled just knowing that fact, before nodding.

Kiba stood up straight when she gave her answer. His smile reached from ear to ear. "Okay. I-I guess I'll pick you up at 4:30."

"4:30 PM?"

"AM."

She thought she misheard him. "Morning?"

He nodded, but when their eyes met, it was like he realized something. "Oh, crap. I mean, uh, that's too early," he laughed awkwardly. "I-I'll change it. H-how about 6 PM? Yeah. That's more comfortable for-"

"It's okay. Kiba. No need to change everything," Hinata cut him off. "I was just surprised." She shifted her weight to her other foot. "You know, I'm actually kind of excited with what you're planning."

"You should be."

"So, 4:30 AM?" she asked again.

"4:30 AM," he nodded.

"Alright. I'll make sure to wake up early that day."

"Alright then, see you! Bye!" Kiba quickly kissed Hinata's cheeks before running off, leaving Hinata there to realize what just happened.

"Kiba!" called out to him after running through the scenes in her head. Kiba turned around, laughing, jumping around, and waving his hand at her, before running forwards again. It was childish. Hinata just laughed, her hand still on the area where Kiba landed his lips on, unable to stop smiling.

She couldn't wait for Sunday to come.

* * *

 **Congratulations. You've reached the end. Here's some spooky scary skeletons.**

 **I'm sorry for the delay. I got caught up in papers and such. Also, Log Horizon, Zootopia, and Undertale kept me busy. But the first part of my thesis is done, and I'm on a vacation right now for a month, so I hope I'll be able to update more.**

 **Uhm... I hope you have some time to review? Please?**

 **Anyway, thank you, and see you next chapter~**


	12. The Sun Rises

**I'm still alive.**

 **Anyway, here's Chapter 12. Enjoy.**

 **As always, thank you for everyone's kind words.**

 **Okay. Let's go.**

* * *

The alarm rings at 3:30 AM. Lights illuminate her room as she went to her bathroom to brush her teeth. She brushed it longer than usual. Cupping her hands under the faucet, she splashed her face with water, waking her up and making her feel somewhat fresh. With a smile to the mirror, she goes back to her room and started scrambling around for her clothes.

Will she be wearing shorts today? It was almost summer after all. Or was that too daring? Perhaps, a skirt would be a better choice. The one that reached below her knees, of course. As always.

The cold wind blows as she opened her window. Without thinking twice, she picks up her favorite jacket and wears it, welcoming the warmth it brought. Twirling left and right in front of the mirror, she nods in agreement and sits, beginning to brush her hair. The ends flipped outward. Like it always does when she wakes up.

After a second trip to the bathroom, she sits down, and smiles with content. That will do.

Her eyes go to the lipstick that was sat comfortably on her vanity. It was a gift from Ino. A Christmas gift and Birthday gift – combined. It was always like that ever since she was little. Way more convenient for people. The gift was a light shade of red, bordering on pink. It was close to the natural color. She had never thought of using it until now. Would it make her face a bit brighter? Prettier, maybe?

The clock read 4:30. It was already time. She looks out her window, just in time to see him arriving at the front gate. Like her, he wore a simple casual attire. It was always refreshing to see him out of his usual attire.

Immediately, his nose senses her, and he waves at her with a smile. Her eyes brighten with joy and immediately went down the stairs, forgetting the fact that everyone, aside from her, was still asleep. With a loud whisper of apology, she goes outside of the house, making sure to close the door quietly. Her father might get mad at her for disappearing so early in the morning, but that was a bridge that she'll cross later.

"Hey," he says, his fang poking out of his lip as he smiles. Her lips couldn't help but curve up, and she bashfully return his greeting as she puts her hair behind her ears.

Akamaru barks, as if to break the tension between the two. She laughs and opens her arms wide, accepting his companion into her embrace. His size may be vastly different from before, but his white fur remains soft and fluffy as always.

"Let's go?" he asks, and she nods, accepting his hand as she went on top of Akamaru. These hands of his. She remembers holding it countless times, but today, it felt warmer. It felt larger. It felt accepting. She couldn't help but hold it tighter, and a bit longer.

He calls her name, chuckling at the fact that she would not let go. Hinata. Many years did he call him by that name, but only now did she realize how she loved him calling her name. Her name that easily rolled of his tongue. The way he says it with affection. Always with an emotion. She wondered if she made Kiba feel the same way as well whenever she calls him by his name.

Few seconds pass and she finally loosens her grip. He easily hops onto Akamaru and looks back at her, waiting for her to hold on. Their eyes meet and she started wondering where she should put her hands. She used to always put them on his shoulders but now, she decides to place it around his waist.

"Is this… okay?" she asks, sitting a bit more closer and looking up at him.

"Yeah," he puts his hand over one of hers, "It's safer."

With a gentle pat from his master, Akamaru started to run. She yelps a bit from surprise, tightening her arms around him, and he laughs in amusement. It really is no wonder why Inuzukas were the only ones who use ninkens extensively. They were the only people who could go along with the dog's playfulness.

She leans her head on his back, watching the blurry scenery turn from brown to green as they enter a forest. Akamaru's loud steps changed to rustling sounds as his paws hit the grass. For a moment, her eyes close, falling asleep. It was early morning, after all. Nonetheless, she forced herself to stay awake.

"Ah," her voice comes out when she spots a tree with red fruits, the ground surrounded in various types of wild flowers. It was a familiar scenery. Come to think of it, the path itself was very familiar.

"What's wrong?"

"I feel like I've been here before."

"You did. I've brought you here last time."

Without any hesitation, Akamaru leaps, leading them out of the forest. The sudden brightness blinds Hinata and she instinctively shut her eyes for a moment. It felt like someone shone a flashlight directly at her eyes.

She blinks a few more times, trying to regain her composure, before looking up, only to be surprised by the scenery. Beyond them was a familiar lake. The lake where it used to perfectly reflect the starry night sky. The same place where Kiba had brought her and spent their time just enjoying each other's company. Even beyond are rows of mountains, and just perfectly sitting atop on one was the sun, rising as it signifies another new day.

Hinata's eyes widened with awe. Though this was obviously not her first time to see a sunrise, it was the first time to see it with this kind of view. The way the rays shone at the waters, giving a sparkle to its already marvelous beauty while, at the same time, the skies changing its colors, were just breathtaking.

"I always came back here ever since I've found it. Mornings, afternoon, nights, it didn't matter," he says with a smile on his face while looking at the scenery. The gentle wind blows, making his short but messy hair sway along. "I guess," he turns towards her, "I just wanted to share you a piece of my treasure, if you could call it that way," he chuckles.

She clenches her hand to her skirt, scrunching up the fabric. The sun reminded of her mother. It reminded Hinata of how much her mother loved the sun, which is why she named her daughter after it. The sun symbolized a new day. A new beginning. Hinata symbolized a new chapter in her mother's life.

For Hinata, this was similar. It was like yesterday when they were simply just teammates. Friends. But now, it was different. Just like how every touch they exchanged had changed, so did their relationship. This marks a new chapter in their life. Another page to flip through. New obstacles to conquer.

It was a new beginning to both of their lives.

"Kiba," she called out to him. "From now on, please take care of me," she said, bowing slightly at him and looking up, only to be greeted with a gentle flick of his fingers to her forehead.

"Idiot," he says with a grin as Hinata touched her forehead, confused. It wasn't painful, but it was surprising. "You don't have to be so formal with me. Of course, I would take care of you. Ever since we started, we've trusted each other to take care of our backs. The only difference is that now, I'm trusting you with my whole life."

She looks up at Kiba and, for a moment, she flashes back to the image of Kiba when they got teamed up together. When his eyes still held disinterest and his tone always somewhat angry. Hinata could only laugh at those memories, on how different it was to the present. Perhaps now, she could agree that he did, in fact, change from his younger self.

Taking a step forward, she approaches him and holds his hand with her comparably tiny ones. "You know that I know that I trust you with my life too."

He chuckles, finding the physical intimacy slightly embarrassing, but nonetheless, she knew that he enjoyed it since he squeezed her hand back. Their eyes meet and he puts his forehead on hers, and stayed that way for a while. For a second there, she expected him to kiss her, but this wasn't bad at all. The closeness was very much welcomed.

She then feels him suddenly tense up, and she looks up at him to see his eyes widened, thinking. Years of experience with Kiba told her that he sensed someone unfamiliar, and was about to ask whether Konoha was in danger, only for his facial expression to change into a mix of disgust, discomfort, and embarrassment. His face started to flush red immediately as he directed his gaze towards the forest, the same place where they came through.

Hinata blinks, wondering what was wrong, and followed his gaze. And, just a few meters from them, in behind one of the many thousand trees, she saw someone with an animal mask peeking out.

An Anbu.

"Oh," the Anbu said, covering his mouth – if you could call it that – with his hand as if he was gasping after realizing that he was found out. "Please, don't mind me. Just pretend that I'm not here and continue with whatever you two are doing." He steps to the side, trying to hide his body more, obviously failing to hide his presence. Then again, being in the presence of a Hyuuga and an Inuzuka would make everyone fail to do so.

"What are you doing here, sir…" Kiba said, adding the honorific as an afterthought. Was the Anbu his superior? Hinata didn't know. What she did know was that Kiba wanted to get out. Fast.

"Just don't mind me!" the Anbu whispered loudly. "That's an order," he adds.

"…Is there something you want?"

Seconds pass, and the Anbu finally comes out of his 'hiding place' while sighing loudly and approaches the two. Intimidated by the height and the bear mask, Hinata steps backward and slightly hides behind Kiba's back, her hand holding the hem of his shirt tightly. The man radiated a strong aura of authority that she couldn't help but feel a little terrified.

"Pleasant to meet you, Miss Hyuuga. I sincerely apologize for the intrusion," he says, placing his hand on his chest and bowing slightly. Hinata nods in acknowledgement, though her eyes strayed down to the ground. She really could not make herself look at those black holes in their masks despite countless encounters with them.

"What is it?" Kiba said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"A mission came up. We were thinking of bringing you along. It'll be a good experience for you."

The Inuzuka widens his eyes, the corners of his lips turning up slightly. "Really? A-are you sure that I can go along?"

"It's a recon mission, something you are already used to. I'm sure you'll do just fine."

Hinata listened closely as the Anbu continued to give information to the rather enthusiastic Inuzuka. It reminded her of when they received their first ever mission, only for it to simply be a cat-searching job. Though it did help train their reconnaissance abilities, it sure did disappoint the three of them. Especially Kiba and Shino. Those two wanted some action.

Of course, that mission is vastly different to the current. Anbu missions are known to be life-threatening due to its difficulty and risk. Rumors even say that they get missions that are above the S-rank. Even though it is simply a recon mission, who knows what you'll face during it. Their team has encountered numerous situations where they thought that they would not make it back to Konoha. What more if it was a mission for the Anbu?

She looked at Kiba who was listening intently to his superior, his eyes full of interest. An expression that she liked a lot. Even though Hinata was worried, she is not cruel or selfish enough to deter him away from his career. This was something that Kiba chose for himself. It was a place where he could continue to grow. A career where he could continue to lend a hand for the greater good.

"You should go," she said softly, making him turn his head back at her. "Like he said, it's a good experience."

"Are you sure?"

Was she sure? Wasn't this like sending him to his death? Isn't this what she didn't want before? But, even though she was still afraid for him, she trusted him enough. Hinata trusted Kiba enough for him to come back. That he could come back to see her once again in Konoha.

So, yes. She was sure. And thus, she nods with a smile on her face.

* * *

"Mad" simply did not describe Hiashi as soon as Hinata came home. He was angry. No, he was fuming. How dare she leave the house without permission! It's not like he wasn't going to allow her to go out. While Hinata may already be a capable adult, he was still her father. It was necessary for him to know where she would be. For a second, he thought that Hinata had gotten herself kidnapped again, just like when she was young.

By the reaction, it seemed to be that the Inuzuka did not also know that Hinata had not asked for permission. Having a strict parent himself, he seemed to understand the struggles of one. Nonetheless, he apologizes, finding himself responsible as well for the trouble. Hiashi did not blame Kiba one bit, but he appreciated his apology. At least the boy had a sense of honor.

"See you, Hinata."

"See you."

The Inuzuka bids his daughter farewell, a fang jutting out from his lip as always. It had been like that since he was young, and it'll always be so. How Kiba had never found his teeth as a nuisance, Hiashi will never know.

Hiashi was about to speak to Hinata about her behavior when she suddenly ran towards their home, almost stumbling when taking off her sandals. He blinks once. Twice. Did Hinata seriously just ignore him? Maybe allowing the Inuzuka to date his daughter was a bad idea. Look at her! He obviously had influenced her in some way or other! Sooner or later, Hinata would start to rebel against her family. Hiashi could only grimace as he imagined it.

He walks up the stairs towards his daughter's room, hearing pages being flipped fast and books dropping onto the carpeted floor. Now she is causing a ruckus? Does Hinata have no shame or respect anymore? Hanabi is still sleeping, for goodness sake.

"What are you doing?" he asks, stepping into the room as Hinata started picking up the books from the floor and putting them back on the shelf. At least she still had the decency to clean up after herself.

"Oh. Father," she says, as if she just now noticed of her father's presence. "I'm just looking for something."

"What is it?"

Hinata heads towards one of her cabinets next, opening it up and kneeling down onto the floor as she started rummaging. Seconds pass and she gasps, pulling out a small wooden box with an accomplished smile on her face. She removes the lid, revealing a small collection of clovers she had pressed.

Four-leaf clovers.

She places the box on her lap as she picked each of them one by one, twirling and flipping them between her fingers, examining each intently. Curiosity overcomes Hiashi and, next thing he knows, he has picked up one of the clovers and gazed at it. He had known about his daughter's hobbies, but did not know it went to this extent.

"Are you giving one to him?" he asks, raising an eyebrow at her.

She meekly nods, a blush rising up her cheeks. "I think it'll help with his mission. Clovers are symbols of luck, after all."

Luck. It was something that Hiashi did not believe it. Luck won't let you win battles and finish missions. Skill does. With hard work, intelligence, and skills, one could achieve without relying on any superficial things like luck. It does, however, boost up your confidence, he heard.

Perhaps, that is what that Inuzuka would need.

His daughter stands up and walks towards her desk, where she pulled out a small clear bottle with a wooden cork from one of the shelves. The bottle opens with a loud pop and she places her chosen clover inside carefully before closing it up again tightly. She then grabs a thread, measuring the length and cutting it with her scissor. The rope was wrapped around the neck several times to secure the thread onto the bottle, before making a small loop to connect the two ends of the thread.

She hangs the small charm onto her finger, examining it, and smiled, content with her work. Her eyes shift quickly to the clock above her bed, and she places the charm into the pocket of her jacket.

"I need to go, father. I'll see you later at breakfast!" She bows at him and ran down the stairs. He swears he heard her trip at the last step and just sighs. Her daughter is a capable ninja, but her clumsiness remains otherwise.

Hiashi closes the wooden box containing the clovers and places them back into her cabinet. He had hoped that he placed it where Hinata had found it. Whatever. It was not his responsibility in the first place. If Hinata took a single minute to pack it away, she wouldn't have any problems finding it again the next time she needed it.

He looks around the room after straightening out the sheets of Hinata's bed and sighs. Plans to scold his daughter just got thrown out of the window. He closes his eyes, massaging the bridge of his nose, and just gave up.

Just this once, he would let his daughter have her way.

* * *

An hour. He was given an hour to prepare. Technically, they gave him 45 minutes as he had to send Hinata home. But, it was more than enough to prepare.

Akamaru wags his tail, playing with a rubber ball as Kiba changed from his casual wear to his usual working clothes. Looking around, he tries finding his forehead protector but to no avail. Looking for its scent did not help. He was used to his own scent that he did not really know how to single it out from many others. His encounter with Sakon and Ukon made him learn that in a hard way.

He lifts his blanket up, looked under his table, inside his clothes cabinet, and under his bed, but his forehead protector just won't show up. He could only scratch his head in frustration. Was he really this careless with his belongings?

Sighing, Kiba decides to pack his other belongings first before dealing with his headgear again. Time is of the essence. He'd rather spend it wisely. He counts his kunai, examining if they are still in top shape, while at the same time checking the other contents of the pouch, before tying the pouch on his waist.

His eyes look at the clock on his table. 25 minutes left. Still had the time to grab something to eat before going out.

"Come on, Akamaru," he tells his partner. Akamaru gave him a loud bark and stood up, only to reveal his forehead protector that was under him all this time.

Kiba casts an unamused glance at Akamaru who tried to act innocent. Ninkens should never be underestimated. Ever. They act all innocent and shit, hiding behind their cute appearance, but in reality, they're already scheming many different ways to screw with your head. Eventually, they're going to dominate the world with the humans groveling under their feet.

"Very funny," he said as he tied the protector on his head. Akamaru just barks, wagging his tail swiftly. Kiba could only just sigh in defeat. He really couldn't stay mad at his partner.

He opens the door of his room and heads towards the kitchen, grabbing a loaf of bread. His sister, Hana, usually made breakfast but, he guessed she stayed at her clinic today. Must have been a lot of work to do. He truly respected what his sister does. Kiba might like animals, but he did not have the patience to study intricately about them.

The sounds of the pellets hitting Akamaru's bowl surrounded the house. He sat on one of the chairs, the bread hanging off his mouth while staring at the ceiling. His body felt slightly heavy, and his eyes could fall asleep any second, but, for today, it was worth it.

Seeing Hinata enjoying the scenery like that, with her big eyes and wide smile, it was definitely worth it.

"I told you not to put your feet on the table."

His mother's voice snaps him out of his sleepy state and he quickly put his feet on the floor, where it should be. Kiba's back straightens, his quick reflexes catching the loaf that fell out of his mouth due to the surprise.

Tsume's sandals and pants were coated in specs of gravel, while her hair was tangled on the ends, making it look even messier than normal. Her trusty partner, Kuromaru, shook his body to remove any dust that were on his fur. Akamaru greets the larger dog, and the two went off to their front yard where they usually hanged around.

"What's with that getup? Are you going somewhere?" she asked, removing her flak jacket and throwing it on the sofa, and headed to the sink to wash her hands.

He nods, grabbing another loaf. "A mission," he tells her. "Anbu decided to bring me along."

Tsume pauses, letting the water run down her hands. "Well? Don't make them wait for you."

"I was about to head out, actually."

"Really."

"…Really."

He fills up a glass of water and takes a gulp, before washing it quickly in the sink. With one last check of his belongings, he started wearing his sandal, at the same time thanking the gods above that he did not have to deal with his mother. Tsume was hard to talk to whenever she comes home after a mission. With stress and fatigue combined, she was more irritable than usual. It was like walking on eggshells. Though Kiba sympathized with her, he just could not handle all the screaming he gets from her.

"Kiba."

"Huh?" he turns towards her.

"Be careful."

His eyes slightly widened at her words. Tsume usually told him to not be an idiot during missions and all sorts of insulting things she could say to her son. An Inuzuka's form of encouragement, they tell him. Kiba knew that his mother loved him because if she didn't, she would not have stuck with him for this long, but there have been several doubts.

Inuzukas are affectionate and emotional. Yeah, right. Tell that to his mother who could only laugh at his idiocy and scold him for minimal mistakes. Just simply oversleeping for breakfast made his mom flip the table in rage, wasting food and her hard work in the process. Good intentions, he knew that, but still rather harsh in his eyes.

This is probably the first time Tsume had said anything remotely close to worry over her son. It was always the others. Don't make any mistake. Make sure you use that brains of yours. Don't fail them. Don't let them down. It was all the same.

He didn't know what made his mother change in her tone suddenly, but he nevertheless appreciated her concern.

"I will."

He gives her a smile, and heads out the door, feeling a little bit happier.

* * *

Standing near the village gates, she sees them. Four people and one dog, standing as they talked. A fox mask, bird mask, and the bear mask. Within them, she sees the person she went here to see for.

"Kiba!"

He instantly recognizes her voice and he turns his head towards her, surprised at her sudden appearance. She took a deep breath in and out, trying to regain her composure. Her jacket cling onto her skin due to sweat and her hair was all over the place, but really, did it matter now? It's not like Kiba had seen her in her messiest state. That's what you get for being in a team.

She sees the Anbu nod at Kiba, one of them even waving him to go towards her. Without wasting any second, he runs towards her.

"What is it?" he asks, standing just a little bit too close to her.

"Ah," Hiinata felt herself blush from the sudden closeness. "I… I, uhm," she closes her eyes tight and slaps both sides of her cheeks with her hands, trying to snap herself. Kiba could only blink in confusion. "I just wanted to give you this," she says, grabbing his hand and placing the charm onto it.

He lifts the charm up to his eye-level. "Is this... a four-leaf clover?"

"It's for luck."

He smiles, the charm dangling on his finger by the thread. "Thanks, Hinata," he tells her, wrapping the thread onto his pouch like a strap and placing the bottle inside of it.

"Ah."

"Hm?"

"Take care," she says, twirling her hair around her finger. It really is different now. She didn't really have a hard time saying things to him before. Now, every little thing she does feels intimate. Another context. Not that it's bad. She just was not used to it yet.

"Don't worry. I will," he laughs, about to touch her hand only to pull back when he remembered that there are people watching him just a few meters away. Guess he's also not used to it as well. At least she was not alone in her sentiments.

They bid each other goodbye and he goes back to his group. As they walked towards the gates, Kiba gives her one last look and waves at her. She waves back, a smile on her face, before watching them disappear in the forest.

Hinata puts a stray hair behind her ear as the wind blew against her. When was the last time she had been so scared for him? She had never really thought about much of it when they were simply just teammates. The possibility of never coming back. They just took everything for granted.

She clasps her hands together and shuts her eyes tight.

Just this once. Please, protect him.

* * *

"Hina! Hina! Look!"

Mirai waddles to Hinata and shoves in her face a folded red origami. It was color red, her favorite color, like her mother. Hinata looks at Mirai then back to the paper, trying to grasp whatever the child had made. Was it a crane? No, it didn't have a bird-like head. It didn't look like a frog either. It just looked like a scrunch of paper folded into many ways.

"That's great, Mirai," she said, taking the paper from Mirai's hands. "W-what is it…?"

"Flower!" The child points at the red poppy that sat on the table.

Kurenai just laughs at Hinata's confusion, refilling another glass of wine. She really loved liquor, did she? In fact, Kurenai loved it so much that she sometimes showed up drunk at their training. Those were the times where the three of them knew that they were going to get screwed that day. Her genjutsu spells were so nauseating that it was preferable to train with Guy rather than experiencing the horror again.

"Where's Akakiba, Kibamaru, and Shino?"

Hinata chuckled to herself. Mirai could never get Kiba and Akamaru's name right, despite the person himself correcting her many times. The child just simply refuses to change the names she had decided to call them. Shino should be glad. He was the only one Mirai could call correctly. Knowing Shino however, he'll turn this into one of his grudges probably. He'll complain why Mirai did not have a cute nickname for him.

"Kiba and Akamaru are in a mission, Mirai." Hinata thinks for a while. "I think Shino is doing something with his father." She really should visit Shino sooner or later. They hadn't seen each other in a while. Maybe she'll bring some of those melons that he liked as a gift.

Mirai nods and runs off to one of the rooms in the house. They hear the loud sound of toys being scattered on the floor and Mirai's giggling. Hinata could only wonder the mess Kurenai must clean up every single day. It made Hinata wonder if her mother had a similar trouble with her.

"So, you and Kiba, huh?" Kurenai gives her a sneaky smile. She stood up, heading towards the refrigerator and pouring a drink for Hinata. "I had a hunch, but I didn't really think that it would happen."

"A hunch?"

Kurenai nods in confirmation. "He approached me once to talk about it. He didn't give a name but, by the description, I thought it was about you." She places the glass in front of Hinata, who thanked her. "Have you two kissed already?"

"What?" Hinata jumped at the sudden question. She bit her lip, unable to look Kurenai's eyes, choosing to look at one of Mirai's drawings on the wall. Swaying left and right, gripping her hair tight, she then nods, her face completely red.

Her teacher laughs in amusement. "Must have been nice."

Hinata looks down, hiding her face with her hair. "It was," she whispered.

Kurenai sits back down at the chair, bringing the wine glass to her lips to take a sip. Her eyes shift to the red poppy on the table.

"Hinata."

"Yes?"

"Treasure every moment with him. Don't waste any second. If you have something to tell him, tell him immediately. If you want to do something together, don't think twice and just do it."

Hinata straightened her back as she listened to Kurenai. She knew where her teacher was coming from. There's no doubt about it.

Kurenai notices Hinata's worried look and she smiles. "Don't be like me." She sets the glass onto the table. "I have many regrets. I was not able to tell Asuma a lot of things. There were still so many things I wanted to do with him. I thought that we would last longer. I forgot that we were ninjas."

Kiba's face flashes in her mind, smiling as he reassures her that he'll do fine.

Kurenai reaches out to hold Hinata's knees. "Take care of him. You know Kiba. He's strong, but impulsive. Lacking in the brains, but his heart never lies." Kurenai laughs, recalling when they were young and still naïve about the world. "Watch over each other, alright? You two are strong. But stronger when you're together."

Hinata nods at Kurenai, who smiled wholeheartedly.

* * *

Three days have passed since her visit to her teacher. Six days have passed since that day they went to see the sunrise together. Though Hinata knew how travel takes so long between villages, she still could not help but worry over Kiba.

Hinata yawns as she walks towards her home. She even decided to take a mission from the Hokage just to pass some time, but still, he wasn't back yet. What was taking them so long?

It really is different now, is it? Back then, she didn't really think of him that much whenever he goes off to a mission without his teammates. He goes, Shino and Hinata do their own thing, he comes back, everything's back to normal. Rinse and repeat. Now, she just wants him back immediately. She wants to see him. Talk to him. Touch him.

She really missed him. A lot.

"Hinata."

Her whole body turns towards the voice, only to see nothing beyond the dark-lit street. HInata laughed weakly. She swore that she heard someone call her name. She swore that she heard _him_ call her name. Maybe she was just having delusions.

She turns back to her original position, only to be face-to-face to his chest.

"Hey. Long time no see," Kiba says with a toothy smile.

His hair was coated in small specks of dust, his forehead protector removed and was in his hands instead, making some of his fringe go over his eyes. His clothing had some splatters of mud here and there, especially on the hem of his pants and his sandals.

On his right cheek was a small cut. He probably got it from either the branches whenever he jumped from trees to trees, or a weapon like a kunai.

But it was only that. He is intact. He is safe. He is home.

She smiles at him.

"Welcome back, Kiba."

* * *

 **Congratulation. You've reached the end. Here's some treats.**

 **Sorry for the extreme delay. I have no excuses.**

 **Uhm. If you have some time to spare, please review?**

 **Anyway, thank you and see you next chapter~**


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